From technological wonders of spring-loaded carbon fiber to the good old-fashioned walking stick, trekking poles offer a number of advantages over empty-handed walking. That's not to say they are perfect; some hikers may choose not to carry trekking poles because of their tendency to get tangled in thick underbrush. But if you do take a pole or poles with you on your trek, you can rest assured that they will come in handy, probably in more ways than one.
Lower Impact
Hiking poles let your arm, torso and shoulder muscles take some of the load off your leg muscles and joints. This is especially useful when moving uphill or carrying a heavy pack.
Stability
Hiking poles give you one or two extra points of balance. While you may not need the hiking poles through the entire hike, they tend to be useful when crossing unstable ground and during river crossings. Some hikers find the increased stability trekking poles offer to be especially useful when going up and down steep slopes.
Power
Trekking poles let you power yourself forward with your arm muscles. This is especially useful when going up steep slopes, when just putting one foot in front of the other, then straightening your leg can be a real challenge.
Probes
Think of trekking poles as extensions for your arms. You can use them to sweep hanging vegetation or small tree branches out of your way or to probe the ground ahead of you, searching for firm ground in running water, snow, mud and boggy patches.
Shelter
A trekking pole can be used as the sole support for a pyramid-style tent, and can also support a tarp shelter. If you're going to have your trekking poles along anyway, you might as well save weight by not carrying unnecessary tent poles.
Splint
Trekking poles come in particularly handy if you need a rigid splint, and also can be adapted into an emergency crutch. This may not be an ideal solution, but when in the wilderness you're forced to make do with what you can, and trekking poles are better suited to these applications than any other piece of gear you are likely to have on hand.
Storage
Trekking poles make a convenient way of toting along extra duct tape, a versatile survival and repair tool. Just spool some duct tape around the pole, below the handle, and you will be assured of having it handy when you need it most.
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