Keep on trekking

THAT hiker wielding trekking poles like kendo sticks may be onto something.

Although researchers have found that using trekking poles while hiking on downward slopes eases stress on the lower body, there’s been little study of the effects of using trekking poles while wearing a backpack.

Now, investigators at Western Illinois University in Macomb, Ill., and Willamette University in Salem, Ore., have found that using poles while hiking downhill appears to ease muscle activity and strain on the knees and ankles, even when hiking with a heavy pack.

“The poles were effective across the board, with or without the pack,” says lead author Michael Bohne, an assistant professor of biomechanics at Western Illinois University.

Fifteen male hikers recruited from a Salem hiking club were studied while walking down a specially designed ramp with embedded sensors to detect impact. In separate trials, they walked with and without poles while wearing either no pack, a light pack (15% of body weight) or a heavy pack (30% of body weight).

According to the mathematical models used by the investigators, use of trekking poles resulted in a significant decrease in pressure to the ankle and knee joints, suggesting that they could, in the long term, reduce pain and overuse injuries.

janet.cromley@latimes.com