Walking 101

Walking 101

My two children began walking long before their first birthdays. I never had to teach them how to put one foot in front of the other; they just did what came naturally to them. As their young bodies matured, their feet moved closer together, their arms began to swing near their sides, and they strode forward with a smooth pattern of movement.

Somewhere along the way, however, we adults can lose some flexibility, pick up some injuries, or just plain forget how to walk the right way—even though that sounds a bit odd.

How you walk effects the condition of your feet, ankles, knees, hips, and even your low back. Surprisingly, something as seemingly insignificant as ankle stiffness in gait can show up as a herniated lumbar disc years down the line!

Here are the top three “gait offenders” that I treat in my practice. Maybe your body could use some re-schooling in one of these areas.

#1—Lack of heel strike: Each step you take should begin with distinct “touch down” of your heel. Once your heel hits the ground, your weight should then shift to your mid-, and finally your forefoot before you roll over your toes (in preparation of the swing through phase of the walking cycle).

#2—Tight calf muscles: If your calf muscle(s) has stiffened up, you will be left with a shorter stride(or step)length. The diminished bending capacity of one or both of your ankles creates excessive/ultimately destructive arching in your lower back. Stretching this key muscle(s) will go a long way towards protecting your body while you walk.*

#3—Weak lateral hip muscles: If your upper body rocks to one or both sides when you walk, or if your back, buttock(s), or hip(s) ache after you’ve been walking awhile, it is likely that you have weakness of your gluteus medius muscle(s) which are located on the sides of your pelvis. Improve the strength and endurance of this muscle and the rest of your body will smile.*

*Check  out my book, Get Healthy for Heaven’s Sake, for great photo illustrations of both of these vital exercises—or find them online.