Trail Tips: HIKERS According to Dr. Thomas H. Trojian, director of Sports Medicine Services at The New England Musculoskeletal Institute at the University of Connecticut Health Center, some of the more common injuries among hikers and backpackers are blisters, ankle sprains, and osteoarthritis in the knee. While on the trail, he suggests duct tape or moleskin for blisters. “Use them as soon as you feel friction,” he suggests. It’s a stock answer you might hear anywhere, but Trojian offers a twist: antiperspirant applied to one’s feet. “The Army has done studies to show that decreased sweating in this area reduces blisters,” he says.
When it comes to ankle twists, Trojian is decidedly old school. Low-rise trail running shoes? Not so much. “They are great for increasing speed and load but they increase your chance of a sprain,” something he says some hikers are more prone to than others. He suggests a simple test to discover if you’re susceptible to an ankle turn injury. If you can stand on one foot with your arms out and your eyes closed, maintaining your balance for 10 seconds, you are less likely than people with worse balance to have an ankle sprain.
As for osteoarthritis, Trojian attests that prevention is a matter of not overdoing it. “If you put in a lot of miles on a day hike, it can cause flare-up.” He also suggests cushioned insoles. Spenco PolySorb, for example, has a line of insoles designed specifically for backpackers. “They’re not the holy grail,” he says, “but they help.” Other recommendations: a knee sleeve to keep this complex joint in alignment and spring-loaded trekking poles that help to more widely distribute body and pack weight while hiking.
Helping Hands: CLIMBERS For those who take to holding the entire weight of their bodies with just a few fingers embedded into a tiny, granite crack many feet off the ground, sprains and tendon injuries in the hand, wrist, and forearm are common. One needn’t look farther than online forums to hear a litany of rock climbers dishing over their latest ailment. “It hurts most when my arm is fully extended,” writes one climber looking for free peer diagnosis. “I badly sprained or partially tore the radial collateral ligament of my right thumb,” writes another.
To prevent finger sprains, Trojian recommends taping the circumference of heavily used finger joints. Climbers who visit him with sprains are X-rayed to be sure they didn’t pull a piece of the bone. They are told to ice the area and take an anti-inflammatory medication. “I also get them playing with Silly Putty or a stress ball for range of motion,” says Trojian. “I don’t want the finger to get stiff.” This can also be done as a preventative measure in the form of strength training. Personal fitness trainers at K’s Body Shop, for instance, suggest using rubber bands. Wrap the elastic around all of your fingers (including your thumb) and proceed to widen and contract against the resistance of the band.
The World Off Your Shoulders: PADDLERS When it comes to paddling, shoulder injuries like the one MacAward sustained are common—and the worst thing you can do is to keep going. “It’s best to stop right away with an injury like that,” says Tortland, “as muscles and/or tendons are at a diminished state. If you keep trying to go at 100 percent, it’s going to get more injured.”
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