Trekking Poles: Stability, Mobility, and Utility
I didn’t use trekking poles for a long time.
In fact, I found walking quadrupedally rather cumbersome and I didn’t like having to “hold on” to poles. My first outings into the backcountry involved packs that weighed (gasp) 40-50lbs but I muscled through for “adventure.” That was kinda dumb. Perhaps getting older inspired a change, or perhaps it was just the wildly discounted poles that I found in an REI Garage Sale rack during the pandemic. My pack has gotten lighter, and I’m now a trakking pole convert.
What really changed my perception was doing weighted walks (I don’t call it “rucking”) 2-3x per week as a training regimen for backpacking trips. I walk a 2 mile / 600ft hill behind my neighborhood with a 30lb pack to condition cardiavascular fitness, increase strength, and develop core stability in pursuit of improved balance on even surfaces. For the first while, I did these walks without poles and it was honestly a bear. Eventually I figured out I didn’t need to muscle through and I started using poles on these training walks. It was shocking how much the experience improved. It was still hard, but I was able to walk farther without gassing out, increase my pace, use my arms to assist in propelling my weight on the uphill, and better navigate very steep and uneven trails on the downhill.
So that was fine for a while. I was just doing my thing and it was working for me. After teaching outdoor recreation and backpacking, and after being certfied as a Wilderness First Responder, I take them on even moderate day hikes - especially if I’m walking with less experienced hikers.
There’s been a lot of studies toward the benefits of hiking with trekking poles and, though the results aren’t 100% in defense of using them, I find the “pros” sufficiently compelling that I don’t go into the backcountry without them. Several studies (I’m only going back to 2010) have investigated the benefits, risks, and outcomes in hikers who use poles, versus those who don’t.
Impact on Muscles
In a 2011 study, researchers divided 37 active men and women into Trekking Poles (TP) and No Poles (NP) groups who carried 13-15 pound day packs up and down Mt. Snowden in Wales. The researchers measured heart rate (HR), “Rate of Perceived Exertion” (RPE) and Creatine Kinase (CK, an enzyme found in muscles that helps produce energy for muscle contraction). While HR remained similar across groups, participants using trekking poles experienced significantly lower RPE during the ascent.
In normal terms, the people who used poles felt less tired.
The TP group demonstrated reduced muscle damage, as indicated by less decline in strength immediately after and 24 and 48 hours after the test. They also reported significantly lower muscle soreness at 24 and 48 hours, with lower (CK) levels at 24 hours. The findings suggest that trekking poles contribute to a lower RPE during mountain ascents, mitigate muscle damage, maintain muscle function post-trek, and potentially reduce the risk of subsequent injury (Howatson et al.,2011).
Age is a Factor
But not in the way you might think. A 2018 study looked at hikers who completed the John Muir Trail 4 years earlier in an 83-question online questionnaire. Results showed that older hikers had BETTER outcomes with less injuries, potentially due to travelling less miles per day, but also, as the lead researcher said, because “hiking pole use is good for preventing strain and reducing injury to lower extremities and…a lot of younger people are out there hiking [without] poles. They just don’t feel they need them.” (Spano et al.,2018) and (Backpacker Magazine, 2022).
One study out of Hong Kong suggests that use of hiking poles actually increases injury, but those data points were seen only in older hikers who had previous ankle injuries, were overweight, and had misfitting shoes (Lam et al., 2011). In that study, although injuries occurred in hikers using poles, the coincidence of their previous injury, higher BMIs, and inadequate footwear (!) allows me to sleep well while dismissing a possible correlation between hiking poles and ankle injury.
Your Joints
In lab studies observering walking on level terrain, using poles didn’t reduce load on lower extremities. Yet the researchers found reason enough to recommend bringing poles on a hilly terrain to reduce loading on joints for long and challenging ascents and descents (Jensen et al., 2011). Keep in mind that this study didn’t reproduce an outdoor environment and limited its study to level surfaces.
It’s widely discussed, in general, on internet forums that hiking poles greatly assist stability and reduce the experience of joint impact on steep downhills, while decreasing fatigue on uphills. The above studies on muscle fatigue by Howatson support these informal arguments.
Anecdotal Experience
I recently had my Manitoban family visiting in Arizona, where I took them on several hikes down (and up) the Grand Canyon and into the Coconino National Forest. I suggested my mom use poles to assist with balance and propulsion.
After showing her how to properly use them, her confidence, balance, and mobility easily doubled. On previous hikes, she had to turn back due to not being able to step up securely or cross narrow obstacles. On this hike in the Coconino NF, she was rock-hopping streams (first time ever), high stepping logs and rocky flakes, and she completed a moderate 8 miles in/out hike in a reasonable time with little to no fatigue (go Mom!). It was a bit shocking, since she usually ran out of steam on just moderate 2-3 mile hikes.
Safety and Utility
Even for “easy” trips where I don’t technically need them, I carry at least one pole with me. They are great for probing and providing stability on slippery or deep creek crossing, or probing into brushy terrain that might be a great hiding place for critters I’d rather than come into contact with.
Additionally, poles have a lot of emergency utility, aside from their intended function. In an unexpected event, hiking poles can be:
- disassembled and use for a splint on an injured arm or leg (if the poles are the sectional kind).
- use as a main support for an emergency tarp shelter in addition to, or in lieu, of trees (make sure you always have the “10 Essentials” when hiking).
Some ultralight trekking poles are being manufactured without wrist straps, and while I love many parts of those designs, I currently use poles with wrist straps. Not having wrist straps, in my opinion, is stupid light.
Good poles can be as cheap as $30-50, which is a lot cheaper and easier to manage than a trip to the hospital with a sprained ankle, a busted leg, or some other trip-and-fall injury (the possibilities are truly endless).
It’s also an easy investment to be able to get out there to enjoy longer, more rewarding hikes with more energy to arrive and return happily.
