Travel means more time on your feet, navigating new terrain like cobblestones, stairs, gravel, or uneven pavement. For people with CMT, that kind of walking takes effort and can feel unsteady.
Consider including walking poles on your summer adventures. Walking with two poles works differently than a cane or a single walking stick. Two poles widen your base of support, keep your body square, and let you cover more ground with less fatigue.
What are walking poles?
Walking poles look similar to ski poles. Most are made of aluminum or carbon fiber and weigh under 10 ounces, making them light enough to carry all day. Carbon fiber poles are lighter and absorb more vibration. Aluminum poles cost less and bend rather than snap under stress, which can matter if you put a lot of weight on the pole.
There are two types of poles, built for different jobs. Nordic walking poles are made for a striding, push-off motion: you plant them behind you and push through the strap, which brings your arms and shoulders into the walk and helps with rhythm, posture, and distance. They use a padded strap or half-glove that wraps the hand.
Trekking poles are made for bracing: you plant them in front or to the side for support, and their sturdier shafts and shock absorption handle rough, steep ground. They have elongated grips and a loose loop strap.
Either type works for travel. Nordic poles suit a smooth, efficient stride on flat to moderate surfaces like city streets and boardwalks. Trekking poles handle uneven trails, gravel, and steep hills better, especially on the way down.
Why walking poles help
Research on walking with poles points to a few clear benefits:
- Easier on the joints. Using poles takes pressure off the knees and ankles (the joints under the most strain downhill) by shifting some of that force up into the arms and shoulders.
- Better balance and mobility. In a randomized trial, older adults who trained with Nordic walking improved their balance and everyday mobility.
- More oxygen, more muscle. Nordic walking draws the arms, shoulders, and trunk into the movement, so you use more oxygen and burn more energy than regular walking at the same pace.
How walking poles help people with CMT
CMT can weaken the muscles that lift the foot at the ankle, a condition called foot drop. Because the foot doesn’t lift fully, the toes can catch on the ground. To compensate, the knee lifts higher than usual with each step, a pattern called steppage gait. Reduced sensation in the feet can make balance harder. With a pole in each hand, you have something to steady against when a toe catches or your footing feels unsure.
Walking poles also help with specific challenges of CMT:
- Uneven and steep ground: CMT can cause the ankle to roll on rough or uneven surfaces. A pole planted on the outside or downhill edge gives you something solid to catch a stumble before it happens.
- Reduced sensation: CMT can dull feeling in the feet. Poles help you “read” the ground, sending that information up through your hands and arms.
- Reduced grip: CMT can weaken grip strength. The Nordic strap carries the force through the heel of your hand, so your fingers don’t have to hold on hard.
Choosing and using poles when you travel
Walking poles are sized to your height. To find your correct size, hold the grip with the tip touching the ground. Look at your elbow; if it’s bent at about 90 degrees, the pole is the right size.
Buy a pair of adjustable or folding poles, Nordic or trekking depending on where you’ll walk, with both carbide and rubber tips. Adjustable poles let you fine-tune the length, and they fold down to fit in your luggage.
On pavement and other hard surfaces, use the rubber tips. They grip so the pole won’t slide when you lean on it. Switch to the bare carbide tips on dirt or gravel trails.
Practice close to home before you leave. Set the length, learn the push-off rhythm on a familiar sidewalk, and get used to the straps. A physical therapist or orthotist can size the poles and set the straps for the way you walk, and can check that the technique suits your gait.
If you’re flying, plan ahead. TSA allows hiking poles in both carry-on and checked bags, but the officer at the checkpoint makes the final call. If you rely on your poles to walk, they count as a mobility aid, which is generally allowed through security after screening. Check the current TSA guidance and your airline before you fly.
Walk poles are easy to pack and quick to get the hang of, and they make a full day of walking steadier and less tiring. Dial in the fit and the rhythm at home, and they’ll be ready for wherever you’re headed this summer.
RESOURCES
- American Nordic Walking Association: technique training and a directory of certified instructors. americannordicwalking.com
- Society for Accessible Travel & Hospitality (SATH): accessible travel information and resources. sath.org
- TSA: current rules for flying with poles. tsa.gov
Try Walking with Poles
By Greg Stilwell, DPM
Those of us with CMT are used to walking a little differently. We may “lurch” when fatigued, the result of our upper bodies favoring one side or another as we walk. With a set of walking poles, though, we become rhythmic, smooth and mostly pain-free.
Walking poles offer people with CMT not just a way to get and stay fit, but also a training aid for walking and balance. Medical studies on “pole walking” uniformly show better breathing, less stress on joints and other significant advantages over running, including more calories burned in less time.
Nordic walking poles have a patented three-piece strap that allows the user to open the palm of the hand and push downward into the poles, lifting the rib cage and giving the lungs plenty of room for expansion. A whole hour can be spent using the poles for bending, stretching or squatting—all exercises that help with balance.
Walking with poles at a basic metronome-like pace results in smoother nerve conduction. For urban or hard surface walking, a rubber tip can be placed on the end of each pole. This allows you to truly push into the pole, lift the spine and propel the legs forward. These high-traction rubber tips help keep you from sliding when performing a leg-up stretch or pushing the body into a lifted twist using the arms and shoulders.
The beauty of using two Nordic-style poles when walking is that as your legs get tired and foot drop or ankle rolling gets worse, the poles can be “push-pulled” to use the stronger muscles of the shoulders and trunk to take stress off the tired legs and feet. Plus, you can always stop and do some stretches, deep-knee bends or twists with the poles to bring a spring to your step.
Greg Stilwell, DPM, is a board-certified podiatrist diagnosed with CMT 1A, an inventor and a patent holder of the Hozhoni Balance Rail.
