Ask the experts: Autumn 2009
Question from Neil Gavins: I enjoy pushing myself quite hard while walking – and cycling – and want to check my heart rate. What is the best type of heart-rate monitor?
Minnie Burlton: Any heart-rate monitor will allow you to see how much effort you are putting in and will be of benefit but a higher specification monitor will be able to monitor your fitness over a period of time. The best of these allows you to upload and download information to your PC so you can check your progress. Dave Housley, Cotswold Outdoor’s senior equipment buyer, says: “You can choose one without a chest strap but they only give a momentary reading when finger contact is made with sensors on the front of the wrist unit. They do not give a constant read-out so are OK for casual monitoring of heart rate, but not so good if you want to improve your fitness. As you also cycle, you’ll find a chest strap version is far more convenient.” Cotswold Outdoor (? 0844 557 7755, www.ramblers.org.uk/gearshop) stock a range of monitors, from the Timex HRM Watch (£35) to the Garmin Forerunner 405 HRM (£280), which is also a GPS.
Question from Rosemary Buckton: I am 56 and over the past couple of years I’ve started to feel ‘chilled to the bone’ when walking in wintry conditions. Would a hipflask with a tot of brandy help?
Dr Helen Crawley: Alcohol actually decreases your body’s temperature by dilating the blood vessels and increasing the flow of blood to the surface of your body. This gives you a glowing feeling but increases heat loss, cooling your body’s temperature. So it’s best to leave the hip flask at home! One possibility for feeling the cold is that your thyroid is underactive – a blood test could check for this. It may simply be that now you are older you are not so well covered with muscles (which produce heat) and fat (which keeps heat in). Or perhaps your walking is not as vigorous as it used to be. Keep warm by wrapping up in lots of layers to trap your body heat, and make sure your hands, feet and head are covered.
Question from Valerie Cambridge: My daughter and I are keen walkers but, although we wear the correct boots, we suffer with tender soles. What can we do?
Philip Vass: This is not unusual. The most common cause is a lack of support under the feet as you walk. If your feet are not supported enough then the muscles and ligaments have to work harder, become tired, and start causing discomfort. Adding a supportive insole (ideally customized) into your footwear will give more contact and support – not only reducing the amount of excess work they do, but also helping to guide the foot correctly through your stride. The correct footwear is vitally important. Is the boot appropriate to the type of terrain you are walking on? Does it offer the best fit? Does it grip the heel and flex under the forefoot? Heat is also a factor: when feet are hot they swell, which can cause more sensitivity when walking. Be aware of lighter footwear, as they can compromise on the suitability of fit and function and increase the chance of discomfort.
Question from Madeleine Moody: My husband has had a pacemaker fitted and was told he shouldn’t wear a conventional rucksack. Where can we buy one with a diagonal strap across the chest?
Minnie Burlton: The North Face’s Base Camp Messenger range of bags includes a single shoulder strap, as well as a cross-strap to stop the bag swinging around. It’s also possible to change the strap’s angle to ensure it doesn’t run over the pacemaker area. They come in four sizes, from £35 to £55. Alternatively, try a rucksack that has contour shoulder straps that shouldn’t put pressure on the area of the pacemaker, such as the Osprey Talon which comes in an 11-litre size (£50), 22L (£60) and 33L (£70). Or opt for a bum bag, such as the Osprey Talon 4L (£30) or The North Face Sport Hiker 9L (£35). It would be worth having your rucksack professionally fitted. Most specialist outdoors stores offer this service.
Question from Peter Roundhall: While out walking in countryside near my home, I cut my hand on some barbed wire over a stile. What is the law regarding barbed wire near footpaths?
Martin Key: Believe it or not, there used to be an Act of Parliament solely about barbed wire! The Barbed Wire Act 1893 was passed ‘to prevent the use of barbed wire for fences in roads, streets, lanes and other thoroughfares’. The provision lives on in the Highways Act 1980, Section 164, which states: ‘where there is on any land adjoining a highway barbed wire which is likely to be injurious to persons or animals lawfully using the highway, the highway authority may serve a notice in writing upon the occupier of the land requiring him to abate the nuisance within a stated time. ’ Whether the fence is near enough to the highway to be considered dangerous depends on the circumstances (eg the width of the path). Section 164 refers to barbed wire at the side of highways; but where barbed wire is put across a stile, it is an obstruction and should be dealt with in the normal manner (reported to the highway authority who can use powers under the Highways Act to remove it). So report your incident and the highway authority should be able to ensure its removal and the landowner may be liable for any injury caused.
Question fromDerek W Hughes: After a day’s walking, my wife suffers from ‘sock burn’ – a bright red and sore rash around her ankles. It’s worse when she also wears a support bandage. What is it?
Dr Helen Crawley: This sounds like golfer’s or hiker’s vasculitis: a red rash which can give a slight burning sensation, and has been described in golfers after 18 holes and walkers after a day’s walking. It’s usually seen around the top of the socks and is most common in those aged over 50. Studies have shown that it isn’t caused by allergies or insect bites but is an inflammation of the blood vessels of the lower leg. It seems to be caused by a combination of exercise and heat, and certainly your wife’s elastic bandage will have exacerbated it. Unfortunately, little can be done to prevent hiker’s vasculitis, except to avoid overheating when walking, and using ice packs and elevating the leg when the rash occurs. It should disappear in a few days.
Send us your questions
Do you want an answer to a health, gear or legal question? Then write to us at walk, Ramblers, 2nd Floor, Camelford House, 87-90 Albert Embankment, London SE1 7TW or email denise.noble@ramblers.org.uk with your name and address. Letters may be edited and may be included on this website. We are not able to acknowledge letters.
The writers of all letters published will win a HotRox Electronic Hand Warmer – the new way to stay warm. They’re rechargeable and can be turned on and off at the flick of a switch. HotRox hand warmers are the must-have accessory for everyone who enjoys the great outdoors. Visit www.thehotrox.co.uk.
