Trekking poles are the two-handed modern version of the walking stick. As soon as we began walking upright, Homo sapiens used sticks as a means of assistance in movement and at times defense. In fact, The Metropolitan Museum of Art has an artifact of a walking stick from Ancient Egypt that dates back to around 2100 B.C. But it wasn’t until thousands of years later, in Finland, that we first saw the appearance of the trekking pole.
Trekking Poles:
As stated in my post about Traction Equipment for Winter Hikes, as a piece of equipment, trekking poles are usually simple in construction. They can be folding, telescoping, or solid. Made from wood, metal, and other materials. The handles can be straight or curved. And they can give varying tips. But in this post, we want to decide whether the use of these modern takes on ancient technology is worth the use for hiking.
Benefits of using Trekking Poles:
Trekking poles are an almost a mainstay item of every hiker, after water and Footwear. But are they worth the use? To help you determine whether they are, I will lay out a few key benefits.
According to research, trekking poles have been found to decrease the stressors applied to the legs such as the force and tension on knees when carrying a backpack. In fact, it was determined that transfer of stress from the legs to the upper bottom increased with the use of trekking poles and that the arms took on a larger role during the hike than if poles were not used (Hawke and Jensen 2020). This meant that hiking with trekking poles not only lessened the impact on the legs but also made for a total body workout.
Additionally, research suggested that the use of trekking poles helped with balance and a reduction in falls. In fact, under load conditions the use of two poles was found to offer better balance than one pole or no pole (Hawke and Jensen 2020). This suggested that when hiking with a backpack, it may be more beneficial to use trekking poles.
Furthermore, because of the ability of trekking poles to aid in preventing falls, their use for certain populations such as those with Parkinson’s disease, dealing with obesity, and the elderly were found to benefit from the use of trekking poles as well (Hawke and Jensen 2020). While the landscape may play a factor as well, we suggest that for these groups, a flat surface such as a rail trail is preferred to a more rugged terrain.
Finally, the use of trekking poles may also help with the perceived exertion and muscle fatigue while hiking. But this may be psychosomatic rather than physical and the costs may support this claim.
Costs of using Trekking Poles:
While trekking poles have many benefits as stated above, they also come with costs that should be addressed.
At first glance, it seems that the stress on the body is less while using trekking poles. But according to Hawke et al., the use of trekking increased cardiovascular demand. Hawke et al. further state that the increase in cardiovascular demand contributed to the activity being more demanding than had been planned. This was cited to be a result of the use of the upper body when utilizing trekking poles and the weight of the load being carried (Hawke and Jensen 2020).
While we stated earlier that the transfer of stress from the lower body to the upper body is a benefit for the legs, and if your goal is for a total body workout, this can also be a negative. For instance, being that hiking is mainly a leg and lung/ heart workout, you may not expect to have your upper body engaged, by using trekking poles this is exactly what is happening. If there are any shoulder or arm injuries to worry about, perhaps trekking poles may hurt your further since they engage those parts of the body.
| Benefits of Using Trekking Poles | Costs of Using Trekking Poles |
| Less stress on Legs | More stress on cardiovascular system |
| Better Balance | Increased upper body fatigue |
| Better for lower back pain | May cause activity to be more demanding |
| Help with carrying loads | More stress on upper body muscles |
Conclusion:
To determine if the use of trekking poles is right for you there are some things to consider. First are the benefits and costs we laid out. Next is to determine your fitness level, your hiking goals, and your injuries.
For instance, if you have knee pain or lower back pain, trekking poles are probably a good fit. If your shoulders ache, or you rather not increase your heart rate more than necessary, probably not using trekking poles is a good option. Finally, if the terrain or balance is a factor these may be reasons for using trekking poles. In the end, I like to have mine nearby just in case.
Work Cited:
Hawke AL and Jensen RL. 2020. Are Trekking Poles Helping or Hindering Your Hiking
Experience? A Review. Wilderness and Environmental Medicine 31: 482-488.