How do I protect my knees with a hiking pole?
When you are hiking – especially when you are
hiking downhill – your knees take a great deal of physical abuse. They
experience the majority of the shock that comes with each step and unlike
your muscles, they do not become stronger the more you use them. As a
result, when you are trudging down a hill, you are slowly weakening your
knees more and more, making the downhill trip more and more difficult.
Luckily, there are a number of things that you can
do into order to reduce the pressure that you experience on your knees as
you are hiking downhill. Each of these will make hiking downhill easier, and
may even reduce the discomfort that you feel the next morning.
Ways to Reduce Knee Pressure
·
Reduce Weight
Carrying heavy backpacks is a primary cause of
heavy knee fatigue during the downhill portion of a hike. Your joints are
not used to that increased weight, and the gravity of moving downhill with
those extra pounds places even more pressure. Try to carry the least amount
of weight possible, and distributed between bags if you are hiking with
other people, and this will allow less pressure on your joints.
·
Walk in a Zigzag Motion
Though it can be tough to get used to at first, if
you have the room you should zigzag as you travel down the hill in order to
decrease the amount of pressure that you experience on only a certain part
of your joint. Zigzagging distributes the pressure over a greater area,
reducing joint fatigue.
·
Using Hiking Poles
Hiking poles are designed to help support your
weight better as you move down the hill, which will provide you with less
joint pressure. Hiking poles can reduce pressure by as much as 25%, which
can make a tremendous difference over the course of your travels.
·
Get Good Hiking Shoes
When you have good hiking shoes with equally
effective insoles, a lot of the pressure that comes from each step will be
transferred to the shoes instead. The soles will absorb more of the shock,
and it is the pressure from the shock that hits your knees that can cause
the most amount of discomfort.
·
Keep Steps Minimal
The smaller the steps you take, the less force
there will be with each step – especially as you travel downhill. When you
take larger steps, your body experiences more force with each step, and
since your leg is also further away from your body, most of that shock is
absorbed by your knee rather than by your entire body.
Taking Care of Your Knees
The harder you are on your knees, the more your
joints become inflamed and damaged. You want to try to do your best to keep
the harm to your knee joints to a minimum, and you can do so by following
the above steps. Each of them will help your knees stay safer during your
downhill travel, and the less damage you can do to your knees each trip, the
less damage you will cause on the next trip.
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