Urban Poling ACTIVATOR™ Poles for Balance and Rehab/Stability/Walking/Nordic Walking Poles

these are excellent aids to walking. After back injury, they provide excellent stability with a design that helps to walk erect. Prescribe by my physical therapist, I am very glad I have them to keep my walking erect.

Bought these for my mother who has hip problems because these are designed for physical therapy and, although my Mom isn't overweight, are rated for 200 lbs per pole. These are adjusted via spring loaded pegs that fit into the selected hole. This is a much stronger and reliable way of adjustment than the walking poles that I use which rely on twisting, and occasionally loosen and telescope. I have to check these constantly which isn't something my mother is going to remember to do.These poles are specifically made to bear weight and won't collapse. On the package of my hiking poles it specifically says they aren't for use as canes.

I have not used these as I had hoped I would, but I haven't been walking as much either. These poles are well made, very sturdy and light weight. They are easy to use and I did find that when I was walking and used these that my knees and back did not hurt near as much as they had done in the past. I didn't even wear a compression sleeve on my knee. I did need to wear gloves when I used these, but that's because it was darn hot and my hands were sweating a lot and I was having trouble gripping the poles. Not the poles fault, it was just in the high 80's with high humidity. These are a basic walking pole for balance and stability, they are not Alpine walking poles. There are not a lot of videos of Activators on line, mainly Alpine, but view some of the on line information to make sure that you are getting what you want. There is a difference. One big thing is these have no straps, mainly because of stress on the wrists. When I do get out and walk, I use these and it makes a big difference in how far and long I can go and how I feel afterwards.

On the good side, these are very sturdy AND very light weight. The height adjustment is via a secure pushbutton system with numerous settings that allow you to get it just right for you. Once the button pops out in place, you can be pretty certain that it's going to stay and not allow the staff to collapse under your weight when you least expect it. There are marked guides so that you don't have to hunt for the button as you adjust. On the minus side, I'm not liking the grips much; I thought I would but I don't. They're on the short side, and the design is for a single point of grasp. You can't choke your grip up and down, say as you climb or descend a hill. Also, no loops. The manufacturer left them out on purpose, believing they're a safety hazard. I use the poles as an urban walking device. I need the loops when I want to stop and use my phone, take a picture, get my wallet whatever. The possibility of dropping a pole and having to go to ground for it, is a bigger hazard for me than tumbling down a rocky cliff and breaking my wrist. Also, on the minus side, these are expensive at the very top end of the price range. I'm wondering a little bit now if they're worth it, but don't have a set of cheapies with which I can compare. As my safety is at stake, I'm willing to errr on wasting a little money on the side of caution, so no worries here

These walking poles are very well designed.

I have PD and I bought these to walk with. My thought was to get accustomed to using them before I need them to walk with. They are great poles for walking, and it works out the whole body rather than just my legs. I came across a lot of videos on YouTube showing how to do sitting and standing exercises using these poles. These exercises are exactly what I needed to loosen up my hips, legs and shoulders, which are my stiffest areas. It is unbelievable how good it feels to stretch out these areas of my body that have been so stiff for so long. These are must haves for anyone with PD.

Nice support for walking, hiking.

I was advised to get them from physical therapy as they're absorbent and they give you good cardio. Plus you can take off the rubber tips and you can go out in the woods with a pointed part.