Why
do people in some cultures regularly carry heavy objects on their
heads? It’s because, biomechanically speaking, head-loading is an
efficient means of hauling cargo:
Based on studies of women of the Luo and Kikuyu tribes of
East Africa, researchers have found that people can carry loads of up
to 20 percent of their own body weight without expending any extra
energy beyond what they’d use by walking around unencumbered.
But don’t strap gear to your head just yet. Head-loading only works well if you’ve been practicing it for many years:
The subjects in these studies began head-loading as
children and had developed a peculiar gait that’s one-third more
efficient than the one we’re likely to use.
For untrained controls who have not had years to strengthen the right
muscles and build up spinal bone density, carrying things on your head
actually requires more energy than using a backpack.
Why
do people in some cultures regularly carry heavy objects on their
heads? It’s because, biomechanically speaking, head-loading is an
efficient means of hauling cargo:
No comments:
Post a Comment