Injury Prevention For Hikers [The Impact Of Fatigue]

In this article and podcast I discuss the various reasons why fatigue and exhaustion can affect the risk of injury while hiking.

Today, I want to talk about fatigue and injury prevention for hikers.

Specifically, why your fitness level and how fatigued you get on the trail plays a huge role in reducing the risk of common hiking injuries.

Because, to be honest, injuries are common on the trail.

In the world of hiking, we see things like:

• Sprained ankles
• Twisted knees
• Throwing your back out
• Foot pain
• Pulled muscles
  
  

None of these is much fun in regular life. But when we experience them on the trail (potentially hours or days from any exit point) it can get a bit more worriesome and stressful...

One of the big reasons I recommend hikers take their training seriously is that it can do a lot to reduce the risk of certain injuries.

You can't eliminate risk completely. We can never 100% eliminate the risk of injury (unless you lie in bed all day and never move!).

But if you do the right things, you can significantly reduce the odds.

Most of the time, we talk about strength training, mobility, load management, and all that stuff. All of that is valuable for injury prevention and is important.

But today, I want to talk specifically about fatigue.

Fatigue and exhaustion are significant risk factors when it comes to injury on the trail.

This isn't something many people first consider, but it is a big piece of the puzzle.

When you start to get tired on the trail, things change.

You start to 'drag' your feet. You lose the 'pep' in your step. You start concentrating on how tired you feel...​

And beyond just 'feeling' tired, there are some specific things in the body that can increase your injury risk:

​How Fatigue Increases Injury Risk While Hiking

1) Reduced Foot Clearance

Every time you take a step, your foot lifts off the ground, swings through, and lands in front of you.

There is always a certain height your foot reaches off the ground when you walk.

When you get fatigued, your muscles get tired, and you start to compensate.

One of these compensations is that the distance between your foot and the ground gets slightly lower as you step.

This is only a small change, but it matters on the trail.

Because hiking is rarely on a nice, smooth surface. We are regularly dealing with things like:

• Rocks
• Pebbles
• Potholes
• Slippery sections
• Uneven ground

Lower foot clearance means a higher chance of catching your foot, stubbing your toe, or clipping something you normally wouldn't.

Which increases the likelihood of slips, stumbles, and falls.

2) Reduced Mental Clarity And Decision Making

As you get tired, your focus and concentration drop.

You start daydreaming. You stop paying attention. You're just going through the motions.

On the trail, this makes a big difference.

Because when hiking, we are constantly navigating different sections of terrain, choosing certain routes to go up and down hills and judging various risks.

When you're fatigued, your decisions aren't as sharp.

You might choose a less stable route on a descent. You might misjudge a dodgy section. You might not recognise risk until it's too late. Or even, you might take a wrong turn or miss a trail marker.

Fatigue lowers the quality of your decisions.

3) Reduced Reaction Speed

Everyone has had this moment on the trail:

• You step on a loose rock or bit of mud
• Your foot slips.
• You feel it happening, so you react
• You catch yourself, you adjust, and grab something
• And just save yourself from slipping or tripping

Hikers regularly experience this even on the mildest of trails.

When you're fatigued, your ability to react quickly in these situations is reduced.

Which means small mistakes are more likely to turn into bigger problems.

4) Balance and Stability Are Reduced

When we are fatigued, balance and stability are significantly impacted.

On any tougher section of the trail, you won't feel as supported or in control.

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All of these combined mean one thing.

Fatigue significantly increases the risk of slips, stumbles and falls. And it significantly reduces your ability to correct things when something goes wrong.

So yes, strength training matters for injury prevention.

So does load management. And mobility. And all the other stuff I often talk about.

But fatigue management is a massive piece of injury prevention that often gets overlooked.

So if you're the type of hiker who regularly:
​

• Gets through hikes but feels at the absolute limit
• Is huffing and puffing the whole time
• Drag their feet towards the end of a trail
• Finishes hikes feeling completely exhausted
  
  

That is a clear sign your fitness needs work.

Not just so you can enjoy hiking more. Not just so you can keep up or tackle harder trails. But because staying out of that exhausted state significantly reduces your injury risk.

When it comes to harder hikes, sure, you can scrape your way through almost anything.

But the best approach is being fitter than you need to be. And take your fatigue management seriously.

This means:

• Follow a structured training program and be consistent (covering strength, cardio and hiking)
• Fuel yourself before and during hikes
• Pace yourself on the trail to hike at a sustainable speed
• Be strategic with rests on the trail (and rest before you feel like you desperately need it)
• Choose trails that gradually build difficulty (instead of always pushing your limit)

All of these help manage fatigue. And all of them reduce injury risk.

So if you're worried about getting injured...

Or if you've had injuries before and don't want a repeat.

Of it slips, stumbles, and falls are on your mind.

Never forget this.

Fatigue management is a big, big, big part of staying healthy on the trail.
And it's worth taking seriously.

And if you need help with this, and need some clear direction on how to best stay comfortable, energetic and safe on the trail, you can check out the Online Summit Program here:

Online Personal Training For Hikers 

Yours in trekking,

Rowan