Overview of Pacerpoles + the basics of Walking
Heather Rhodes © 2010
......It is difficult to cover the complex aspects of walking in a few
lines - so this piece should really start with an apology for its
length. I hope that the content will be of interest to most, so I have
tried to keep the terminology inclusive and open to all.
Having trained as a physiotherapist 40 years ago I have been analysing
muscle and bone relationships for 4 decades - with specialist interest
in 'functional' anatomy (the anatomical/biomechanical analysis of how to
improve performance) and being aware of the benefits gained by doing an
action one way, compared to another to maximise potential. For example -
when doing a press-up; think of the trunk as a horizontal box and the
arms as levers lifting it up and down, with the hands as pivot points
....then do another press-up but this time move the hands further
forward (i.e the elbow is slightly straighter) .... and you'll note that
the second press-up was not as effective and took more effort, even
though it was the same trunk (weight) using a similar arm lever action
(slightly straighter) with its marginally different pivot point. Aspects
of this arm-leverage scenario are referred to later.
To clarify; the main difference in concept between Pacerpoles and NW
poles is that Pacerpoles were designed from first principles, and based
on anatomical/biomechanical analysis of the arm's walking stride actions
above the legs. From this data came further analysis of how the arm's
leverage can be accessed without distortion - in order to complement
that of the legs and maximise the users walking potential (whatever
their fitness level or walking terrain ... those with ME, amputees (Mark
Inglis, climber/first bilateral amputee to summit Everest - 2006), or
the team who chose to use Pacerpoles In the Race to the North Pole last
April - and won by a margin of 2 days (5 teams competing). In contrast,
the concept designs of conventional poles, which include NW poles, are
based on 'modification of existing' i.e the ski pole whose original
design comes from the wooden staff thousands of years ago - but has been
modified over the years using high-tech materials, padded straps/gloves
and well engineered shaft sections which lock together. What hadn't been
addressed over the years (or perhaps hadn't been realised that there was
an issue to address) was the inability to maximise full potential of our
upper body leverage to improve walking performance, which was being
undermined by 2 things; the inefficient link between the hand and the
shaft to transmit power without wasting it - and the distortion of the
arm's leverage as it attempts to use what equates to a portable prop or
pole, to push or pull against. In the early chronology of "Fitness
Walking", Pacerpoles (i.e. p a c e r pole which is an acronym for
physiotherapist architect clinician engineering research) should
rightfully be included under this all-embracing Fitness Walking
'umbrella' - as in 1994 Leki's MD met with us here in the UK to
discuss the innovative benefits of pacerpole design and use; but because
they were handed Left and Right and expensive to produce - plus a
walking-education programme would be needed to explain their use and
performance benefits, it would be too costly. As people were already
buying their single poles for either hand - why bother.
We were obviously ahead of our time! Therese Iknoian writing in the
American publication 'Gear Trends' Winter Outdoor 2004 p20 - 22
('Walking the Walk'), gives an enlightening account of those early days
"since Exel rolled out the activity in 1997". As a follow-up, despite
obviously being aware of the name P a c e r pole since 1994, Leki has
chosen to promote their recent NW range as the Leki Pacer Vario NW pole
- which could cause confusion - but just to clarify - it should not be
confused with Pacerpole (TM.reg), and the 'geometry' of its design.
SHAPING THE FUTURE - OVERVIEW OF PACERPOLES + THE BASICS OF WALKING -
MAKING PROGRESS BY WALKING BETTER