Good plans and a minor setback

[davmik]

Good news: The last week has been successful for setting up travel for my wife and I. We depart Sept 2, on Iberia non stop from LAX to Madrid, connecting to a short flight to Pamplona. For our first night, we have dinner and a room reserved at Pension Corazon Puro. They will pick us up at the the Pamplona airport and also provide a ride to St. Jean Pied de Port the next day. We have have reservation to have dinner and spend the night at L’Esprit du Chemin. Next day we'll beginning walking to Refuge Orisson where we have reservations for dinner and lodging. We should have an carefree beginning to our Camino and we're excited.

One minor setback: Today, after walking about 3 miles near my home, I tripped and fell. The fall was complicated because I was using trekking poles with the straps snugged up on my wrists. My left hand got a bit tangled with the pole as I attempted to break my fall with my hands. The pole was bent and I ended up dislocating my left index finger. No real injury - the doctor at the nearby clinic popped the joint right back in place. Irony: the poles are supposed to help prevent falls. Trying to analyze what went wrong, the best I can figure is that because I was walking "Nordic style" the poles were never in front of my body and thus they didn't add any stability, only forward propulsion. I simply lost focus(I blame the chewing gum) and tripped on irregular terrain and fell forward. But now I'm very reluctant to use the wrist straps again. Anybody have concerns about using wrist straps on walking poles?

 

[Kitsambler]

Ahem. Pacer Poles (http://www.pacerpoles.com) do not use wrist straps (they have very small wrist retainers which are optional to use but are not involved in the walking bio-mechanics). Here in the forum, we have discussed poles ad infinitum ad nauseum, so I am not inclined to re-open that discussion. You are free to use the forum search feature to find our (multiple!) previous discussions.

Personally, I have Pacer Poles, have used them on my month-long Camino walks over the past 4 years, as well as for training walks and hikes here in the Pacific Cascades the remainder of the year. Once someone wanted to buy them off of me - name any price - and I refused.

Just saying.

 

[Kiwi-family]

exactly what she said :wink:

 

[Sojourner47]

Nordic style walking is not, IMO, suitable for long distance walking, carrying a pack and all.
OK for aerobic exercise rather than camino.

 

[backpack45]

Sorry about your injury. I have used hiking poles for years--graduating from a stick found in the Sierra 25 years ago. I have on rare occasions tripped myself with them (but not fallen)--my carelessness at getting one of them between my legs , but they have literally saved my neck many more times when crossing rivers, narrow trails, etc. in the mountains here (CA, OR, WA). On the Camino (10 time veteran of Camino trails), they have also been a great assist when ascending or descending hills and mountains and also when getting through muddy patches.

I know what you mean about whether or not to use the straps--whether falling with your hands in them would be better or worse--because I sometimes wonder about this myself and sometimes I use them and sometimes I don't. I don't think there is an easy answer!

 

[davmik]

backpak45,

Thanks for your kind words and thoughtful response. I see the benefit in using poles, I think I try them without straps.

 

[PeregrinaIR]

backpak45,

Thanks for your kind words and thoughtful response. I see the benefit in using poles, I think I try them without straps.

OUch! That must have hurt! Just to say my poles (with wrist straps) have saved me from taking a couple of nasty downhill tumbles in wet weather between Col de Lepoeder and Roncesvalles in particular - not to mention helping to distribute the weight of my back pack. They have been invaluable to me when crossing ditches or streams. I must say I have used the straps to cradle my wrists when tired and nearing the end of my walking day, but each to their own! I hope your dislocated finger is doing well, and doesnt put you off using the wrist bands totally. Buen Camino,

 

[dougfitz]

backpak45,

Thanks for your kind words and thoughtful response. I see the benefit in using poles, I think I try them without straps.

My experience with poles over nearly a decade is that the strap is the one feature that distinguishes a technical pole from its wooden predecessors. Not using the strap would make your technical poles little more than an expensive replacement for a plain wooden pole, and not the unique piece of technical equipment it could be.

From your own description, having them set for a nordic walking style might have been more of an issue than the straps.

I would recommend using them as trekking poles, rather than foregoing using the straps. This would ensure that one pole tip is in front of your centre of gravity most of the time (if you get the rhythm right). Have a look at Pete's Pole Page http://www.personal.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/poles.htm for an excellent description of how to setup and use technical poles for hiking / trekking.

 

[Olivares]

l am glad you posted this experience as it brings up the issue of walking polkes.

I found them very useful for the first 3 days, not so useful after Puente La Reina. I had a walking wood stick that I bought for 5 Euros at SJPDP, sized up to my height, nothing fancy. It helped me balance the stride and provide support when going down hill and help propulsion when going steep uphill. When the Camino started getting less hilly then it became a bit of a load. I left mine in Logroño.

That said, do not get discourage about walking sticks, I certainly think it is a must for at least the first week. A wrist wrap is not very convenient on the Camino type topography, but they can be very practical to hanged the stick when at rest. So, consider that.

Buen Camino!

 

[AnnieH61]

My trekking poles were essential to my muddy Camino in March/April this year.
Buen Camino
Annie

 

[Green Tortuga]

I always cut the straps off any trekking poles I use. I do have a minor concern that they'll be more likely to cause an injury in a fall than without them (I read once that skiers who use straps for their poles are several times more likely to suffer from broken arms in a fall--I have no idea if that's actually true or not, but I read it online so it must be, right?).

But mostly, I just like swinging my trekking pole around like there's no tomorrow when I'm not actively using them. Straps just get in the way.... =)

-- Ryan

 

[Magwood]

I agree with Kitsambler. I used pacer poles. They are so comfortable and natural to use, with no need for straps. An added benefit of using poles is that my hands do not swell uncomfortably when they are raised at this level. I have just returned from an hour's walk with my dog and my hands were terribly puffy. I did not suffer with this at all during the five weeks of my camino.

Hope your finger does not give you too much pain.
Buen camino

 

[Deleted member 12253]

I always cut the straps off any trekking poles I use. I do have a minor concern that they'll be more likely to cause an injury in a fall than without them (I read once that skiers who use straps for their poles are several times more likely to suffer from broken arms in a fall--I have no idea if that's actually true or not, but I read it online so it must be, right?).

But mostly, I just like swinging my trekking pole around like there's no tomorrow when I'm not actively using them. Straps just get in the way.... =)

-- Ryan

Agree, just don't wrap them your wrist, but swinging poles, very dangerous, I know of one accident, person now minus one eye, you would be sent home on mountain trekking for swinging a pole, enjoy, Buen camino

 

[Deleted member 3000]

A wrist wrap is not very convenient

I always cut the straps off any trekking poles

They are your poles. Do what you want with them, but the straps are the essential part of the pole! Your weight should be on the wrist straps, not your hands. The slight disadvantage of my Pacer Poles is that my weight is on the grips. However, the grips are almost horizontal to the ground, fitted to each hand, and engineered differently from a standard pole (which can have angled grips)

I still do not understand why anyone would counsel against trekking poles, even if they do not like them for their own use. The science is in, and trekking poles work! There is no science against trekking poles, just opinion. The American Alpine Institute likes them:

http://alpineinstitute.blogspot.com/2011/08/underappreciated-value-of-trekking.html

Losing an eye? I would put it in the category of an urban myth if I did not think people are stupid enough to do anything! I doubt that eye loss to trekking poles makes the list of the top dangers on the Camino, like centipedes in albergues might ...

 

[Green Tortuga]

Your weight should be on the wrist straps, not your hands.

Where does it say this? None of my trekking poles ever included that in the directions. I figured the wrist straps were so when people fell, their poles wouldn't go flying down the mountain without them. And because sometimes people like to drag their poles when their hands are being used for other purposes (drinking water, snacking, etc.) Which, admittedly, I find really annoying when someone around me is doing that. I've never heard that trekking poles are actually designed so your weight should be on the wrist straps, though.

Even the link you provided to http://alpineinstitute.blogspot.com/2011/08/underappreciated-value-of-trekking.html seems to suggest that you shouldn't be using wrist straps all of the time, and I quote directly from it: "if you always use the strap, it is possible to develop tendinitis in the elbow, or tennis elbow. If you only use the wrist-strap when it's possible that you're going drop and lose the pole, then this impact can be limited. Without the strap, people tend to constantly change how they're holding the pole and as such, it doesn't impact the elbow so much."

Losing an eye? I would put it in the category of an urban myth if I did not think people are stupid enough to do anything!

I've never whacked myself in the eye by swinging around my trekking pole, but I did hit myself pretty hard in the nose once. =) It hurt my nose when it happened, but it didn't hurt as much as my pride! I was more embarrassed than anything about letting the pole get away from me....

Consequently, I could certainly imagine someone injuring an eye under certain conditions. Just because I tend to swing my trekking pole around out of boredom when nobody is nearby doesn't mean I recommend it or that it's safe. ;o) I generally refrain from swinging my pole around when others are nearby--it's one thing to whack myself in the nose with it, but it's entirely different to whack someone else in the nose (or worse!) with it!

-- Ryan

 

[Deleted member 3000]

I've never heard that trekking poles are actually designed so your weight should be on the wrist straps, though.

http://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/trekking-poles-hiking-staffs.html

Since wrist straps bear much of the load, it's important to use them correctly. Put your hand up through the bottom of the strap, not down from the top, before grasping the grip. Adjust the strap so it fits snugly around your wrist.

 

[dougfitz]

Where does it say this? None of my trekking poles ever included that in the directions.

I never got any directions when I got my poles either, and just accepted that poles, like life, didn't come with such things.

What I did find was a few useful web resources. The grand-daddy of them all is Pete Clinch's Hiking Poles page, and more recently the Leki USA site has provided some good video. You will find a good explanation on Pete Clinch's site why the approaches described on the Alpine Institute site should be taken with a grain (or several) of salt. The rub is that the only point about which the criticism of poles on the Alpine Institute site is justified is that if you try to do too much you can get 'tennis elbow', but the suggestions about how to avoid this are just not workable. The one reliable solution if this does occur is to ease off, and not push down on the poles as hard.

 

[nreyn12]

I agree that the straps are one of the most important features of a trekking pole. Here is the best thing I have ever seen on how to use the straps of trekking poles correctly:

Jayah is an expert on how to use trekking poles for hiking. She has an excellent DVD out on the full usage of poles.

 

[davmik]

After reviewing some of the recommended internet resources on how to use the straps, and mentally analyzing my fall, I realized that misuse of the straps contributed to my injury. It hadn't previously occurred to me that a device that appeared so simple could be misused. I've purchased new poles and I now insert my hand from below the loop in the strap and grip the pole with the strap running up across my palm. When used in that configuration, there is slack in the straps when the grip on the pole is released. I had been inserting my hand through the top of the loop and when I fell forward, the straps just got tighter as I went down.

Inattention to the trail surface was the primary cause of my fall and I'm trying to do better about excessively gawking at the sights around me as I walk. My injured finger didn't heal as quickly as I anticipated. It's still a bit lumpy and inflexible. So it serves as a reminder to watch my steps. I leave for Spain in 2 weeks and I'm glad this learning experience is behind me now.

 

[Anniesantiago]

Having used Pacer Poles, trekking poles and a simple stick, I personally found no difference.
Honest.
In fact, I walked much of the last Camino with NO stick and did just fine.
I enjoyed having my hands free, and kept one stick strapped on my pack for steep climbs.
I'm stickless now, and enjoying every minute of the freedom.

 

[pattymo97206]

I use my walking sticks every time I go on a hike or a volkswalk and every step on the Camino. In addition to helping with balance, it takes about 45% of the pressure off knees and hips. That's really important to those of us who walk with bone on bone in our knees and possibly hips. I really notice the difference after a long walk/hike. If I don't use the poles, I have more pain/stress in my knees. Using the wrist straps correctly will also relieve tension, pain in the wrists, lower arms and shoulders. By using the straps as indicated in the video above, resting the wrist on the strap, one doesn't grip the handle of the pole (death grip) tightly. It reduces fatigue. I personally, won't leave home without my walking sticks.