Stairway to Health: Health Benefits of Taking the Stairs

Mark A. Slabaugh, M.D., is an orthopedic sports medicine surgeon with Sports Medicine at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore, Maryland. He is board certified in Orthopedic Surgery and Orthopedic Sports Medicine. Dr. Slabaugh responded to questions from aSweatLife.com for a story regarding the health benefits of climbing stairs. Below are his responses.

Why is taking the stairs good for improving better balance?

Taking the stairs helps patients maintain balance and agility as they get older. As we age, it is important to continue to maintain quadriceps strength. If patients maintain quadriceps strength, then they are able to take the stairs every other stair with one leg. This allows the body to balance itself on one leg and propel it forward helping maintain and improve balance that unfortunately diminishes with age.

How is taking the stairs good for cardiovascular (CV) health?

Taking the stairs is good for CV health in that we are involved in exercise that we normally would not get. It is solely a function of being active and burning calories that we are not burning if we take the elevator. We should dare to stair just to maintain that fitness. It truly is a mindset that we will not let our bodies get old. We always need to look for ways to maximize our fitness. Taking the stairs is a great way to "cheat" and get exercise while we are at work.

What muscles in the legs and lower body get stronger by taking the stairs?

Your quadriceps is the main muscle that is stimulated by taking the stairs, especially if you use one leg for each stair. The gastroc soleus also is stimulated if you are more of a toe walker.

Are there other benefits to taking the stairs you would like to share?

There is a huge emotional benefit from taking the stairs since you are changing your mindset to always looking for ways to exercise. This mindset translates into individuals making more time to exercise when they might use that time for other activities. We had a campaign in the military called "DARE to STAIR". It is great motivation to get people to take the stairs during work.

Dr. Mark Slabaugh, Col (retired USAF, MC) specializes in arthroscopic repair of sports-related injuries and complex knee and shoulder reconstructions, including ACL/MCL tears, shoulder instability and rotator cuff tears. He has a particular focus in complex surgical reconstructions, including knee arthroscopy and total shoulder replacement.