(HealthDayNews) -- Artists often depict people walking with hiking sticks. Maybe you even have one yourself. But what purpose do hiking sticks really serve? Or are they all for show?
Perceptual Motor Skills reports that using two hiking sticks can really help you improve lateral stability when you're hiking, and they're really useful if you're carrying a load on your back. Hikers with two sticks could balance better and longer than people hiking without a stick.
But one hiking stick doesn't offer any advantage over walking without one -- unless you really like the look.
