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 actually “forget” how to walk the right way—typically because we’ve lost some flexibility or strength, or due to some injury we’ve suffered along the way.
How you walk effects the wear pattern of your feet, ankles, knees, hips, and spine. Surprisingly, something as seemingly insignificant as ankle stiffness can wind up generating low back pain years down the line!
Here are the top three “gait offenders” that I repeatedly 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 a distinct “touch down” of your heel. Once your heel hits the ground, your weight should shift forward through your mid- and finally your forefoot before you roll over your toes (in preparation for the swing through phase of the walking cycle). Practice makes perfect!
#2—Tight calf muscles: If your calf muscle(s) has stiffened up, you will be left with a shorter stride (or step) length. If your ankle(s) cannot bend fully, you will experience excessive (and ultimately destructive) arching in your lower back in order to take a full step forward. 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) aches after you’ve been walking awhile, it is likely that you have weakness of your gluteus medius muscle(s) which is located on the side 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’s 10-Minute Muscle Makeover, for great photo illustrations of both of these vital exercises—or find them online.