I've always used them, and really didn't care what other people thought. Nice to see some scientific validation for what most of us knew intrinsically.
They clearly help distribute the work load, but my primary reasons for using them are maintaining balance and taking stress off of my knees on the downhills. I've stumbled more times than I can count, but I've never fallen while using them. They also help establish a nice hiking rhythm. Long live the trekking pole!
