HOW TO WALK.
Compared to all of the modes of land transportation nature has invented—galloping, slithering, hopping—walking on two legs is one of the most efficient at covering long distances. And easiest: A 2010 study by the University of Utah found that it takes 83 percent more energy to land first on the toes, as most mammals do, than to step first on the heel and rock forward, like humans.
Clearly, when we left the jungle to roam the plains, bipedal locomotion gave us an advantage. We could cover vast distances while carrying tools, supplies, and carcasses—backpacking, in its most primitive form—and even wear down faster prey with our superior endurance (as famously argued in Christopher McDougall’s recent bestseller, Born to Run).
“Backpacking used to be a necessary part of survival,” notes author and back-pain specialist Esther Gokhale, who has studied healthy sitting, standing, and walking postures in native cultures in India, Africa, and South America. People have been doing it for millennia. It’s in our DNA. But if you think you learned everything you need to know about putting one foot in front of the other as a toddler, think again. In a modern world dominated by sedentary office jobs, cardio-focused gym workouts, and overbuilt footwear, the fundamental biomechanics of healthy walking often get, well, trampled. Even small problems in your gait—a sagging arch, cramped toes, a pronating ankle—can reverberate up your body and cause knee, hip, and back pain.
And hiking on an uneven trail with a 35-pound pack on your back only increases the potential for problems. The waiting rooms of podiatrists, orthopedic surgeons, and chiropractors are full of people, including otherwise healthy backpackers, who are suffering from walking-related ailments. What to do then?
Find here some recommendations that will help you walk properly along the Camino:
Take the Test
Rate your biomechanical fitness for moderate backpacking.
1. Glutes and hips
Balance standing on one leg (each side) for one minute without assistance.
2. Flexibility
Lie on your back, and while keeping one leg straight and flush against the floor, raise the other leg straight to at least a 45-degree angle.
3. Alignment and stability
Do a one-legged squat down to 90 degrees and hold it for 10 seconds without your knee drifting inward. Do it successfully with each leg.
4. Calves
Do 10 full calf raises on each leg.
5. Knees and feet
To check for overpronation and other instabilities, stand on one leg, hands on hips, in front of a mirror. Slowly bend your weighted knee. Does it rotate inward or outward? Do your hips or shoulders drop forward or to either side? Is your head tipped forward, backward, or to one side? If you see any of these problems in the mirror—your body should be symmetrical, as in the illustration at right—your stance is off-balance.
Get some training.
Add fitness to your form with our guide to stretching, strength, and balance.
Alone, a healthy foot strike and proper stride do not guarantee pain-free hiking. Weakness, instability, and tightness in the legs and hips can lead to problems as well. “Everybody is built differently, and gait will vary,” says Reed Ferber, PhD, a professor of kinesiology at the University of Calgary and director of the university’s Running Injury Clinic. Fitness, however, is universal. All hikers should strive to improve strength, balance, and flexibility to enjoy more comfortable miles.
Strengthen Your Quads
Walking with a loaded pack causes your knees to bend nearly twice as deeply as when you’re not carrying weight. Quad muscles (not calves) share a disproportionate share of the burden. That’s not a problem if you’ve done strengthening exercises, but it can stress the knee if you haven’t. In a study of Appalachian Trail thru-hikers, the top complaint was “acute joint pain” in the knees.
…and do some stretching.
Think of your body like an engine. Muscles provide the power, but you need oil (flexibility) to keep everything running smoothly when you’re walking long miles. Maintain essential limberness year-round with some key moves.
Keep Loads Under 40
U.S. Army tests have shown that the heavier the pack, the less distance covered. The reason weight trumps fitness? With loads over 40 pounds, the body needs to stabilize itself with shorter steps, spending more time on both legs. U.S. Army tests have also demonstrated that loads greater than 15 percent of your body weight cause your trunk to lean forward as a counterbalance. Lean from the ankles and hips—and don’t bend at the waist—in order to prevent back and neck pain. And avoid carrying heavy loads that pull on your shoulders or cause you to hunch forward.
Ease into Big Miles
Don’t overdo mileage at the start of the season or the beginning of a long-distance hike. An injury intervention program developed for U.S. Marine recruit training focused on incremental improvements. Participants gradually built up hiking miles over time, as opposed to high, hard miles at the start. The result? Hiking-related overuse injuries decreased by a whopping 55 percent. After a period of low activity (winter, injury recovery, hectic work schedule), stick to a conservative training plan that allows your body to adjust to new demands.
And choose the Right Footwear
Too-heavy boots and too-light insoles cause some of the most common foot problems.
The best backpacking shoes are as light as possible while still providing adequate arch and ankle support and protection against the elements. Heavy boots, besides weighing you down, can restrict the motion of the foot and actually alter your foot strike as the added swing weight. When you shop, you’ll know a shoe is too rigid if, when you’re walking around the store, you literally hear a ker-thunk sound because the boot isn’t flexing at the ball. (Very stiff boots often have a rockered, or curved, sole to give the feel of a more “natural” stride, but that’s not the same as flex.) How do you know if it’s too light? Hold the heel of the shoe in your hand and push the toe down against the floor or table. “If the sole collapses anywhere but at the ball, it’s probably not supportive enough for backpacking,” says Brandan Hill, a designer at Chaco. In the store, exaggerate a strong toe-off to make sure the natural flex point of the ball of your foot matches the boot’s flex point. Try going up and down in half-size increments to get a feel for how the flex point shifts.
As for the insoles Shoemakers use the words “insert,” “insole,” and “footbed” interchangeably to refer to the same thing: a contoured platform that’s supposed to provide additional cushion and stability, and keep your foot in a neutral position (level, with arch raised). The problem: Most shoes come with thin foam insoles that do squat. The solution: Get an after-market insert made specifically for hiking or running; most feature a molded, hard-plastic base for arch support, and resilient foam for all-day cushion. Most BACKPACKER editors swap out thin, noncontoured footbeds for a supportive insert.
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Article from backpacker.com Image: Pixabay.
