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| Health Fair Booth |
Recognize the warning signs of 6
common mistakes people make when walking and learn how to correct them to avoid
injury.
1. Unbalanced Gait
Due to the common tendency of individuals to show one side limb dominance when performing regular activities of daily living, many people have more strength in one leg and arm than the other. This dominance is often on display when walking and may show up as a stronger push off with one leg or an increased arm swing with one arm compared to the other. While imbalance in gait may not compromise the integrity of a muscle or joint after one step or several steps, over the course of 5,000-7,000 steps (the average female and male take in a day respectively according to walking.com) the danger of injury is increases significantly.
Signals of walkers with an unbalanced gait include: uneven sound of footsteps, uneven shoe wear, socks or other clothing which twists on the body, one arm which swings more easily back, joint pain in the leg, hip or spine on one side (which may be straining to keep you walking forward).
Due to the common tendency of individuals to show one side limb dominance when performing regular activities of daily living, many people have more strength in one leg and arm than the other. This dominance is often on display when walking and may show up as a stronger push off with one leg or an increased arm swing with one arm compared to the other. While imbalance in gait may not compromise the integrity of a muscle or joint after one step or several steps, over the course of 5,000-7,000 steps (the average female and male take in a day respectively according to walking.com) the danger of injury is increases significantly.
Signals of walkers with an unbalanced gait include: uneven sound of footsteps, uneven shoe wear, socks or other clothing which twists on the body, one arm which swings more easily back, joint pain in the leg, hip or spine on one side (which may be straining to keep you walking forward).
To correct: Focus on walking with your feet and knees tracking forward in line with the middle of your collar bone. Also be aware of how hard you are pushing off with each leg. Push off of each foot with equal force.
2. Forward Head and Slumping
Unfortunately, many of our daily activities such as writing, computing, driving and eating focus our efforts right in front of our faces. Our eye tend to lead our heads to strain forward. The shoulders then follow by sagging forward. This posture wrecks havoc on the body and can lead to difficulties breathing.
Signals of walkers with forward head and slumping include: slower walk, poor posture, shortness of breath, headache, backache, and shoulder tension.
To correct preventing pain, strain and rounded shoulders: stand tall with your head gently perched on top of your spine and your ears aligned with your shoulders.
3. Lacking Proper Arm Swing
Cell phone use and purse clutching are common reasons why people do not swing their arms enough while walking. The arm swing plays an important role in walking gait as it helps balance body movements and generate forward momentum.
Signals of walkers lacking proper arm swing include: slow walk, side to side swaying while walking and low back pain.
To correct: swing your arms at the same cadence and rhythm as your swing your legs. the right arm should swing forward as the left leg swings forward and vice versa. Keep your shoulders low and relaxed. Do not over activate your traps to generate more arm swing.
4. Over-striding
Many of us fall into a pattern of taking longer steps in an attempt to walk faster. This stride length increase instead only slows them down. It causes us to land on a stiff leg and on the back of the heel which leads to over arching the back and does not allow the arch of the foot to absorb enough of the impact of the step. This leads to more bounce and compression in the knees, hips, and low back.
Signals of walkers that over-stride include: a bouncy or noisy walk with heel, knee or low back pain which increases during or after walking.
Many of us fall into a pattern of taking longer steps in an attempt to walk faster. This stride length increase instead only slows them down. It causes us to land on a stiff leg and on the back of the heel which leads to over arching the back and does not allow the arch of the foot to absorb enough of the impact of the step. This leads to more bounce and compression in the knees, hips, and low back.
Signals of walkers that over-stride include: a bouncy or noisy walk with heel, knee or low back pain which increases during or after walking.
To correct: Shorten
your stride, focus on landing on a slightly bent leg with the front of your heel pad hitting the ground first.
5. Poor Push-off
Numerous walkers are unaware of the fact that they do not properly push off when walking. Instead they lift each foot, move it forward and then set it down. This is not an efficient way to walk and can lead to over use injuries in the hip flexor muscle group.
Signals of walkers with poor push-off include: a slow often flat footed walk that is more in front of the body
than underneath, joint pain, and lack of leg and glute contouring.
To correct: push
off beneath and behind you. This will increase your speed and contour your
glutes and legs.
6. Center of Gravity Shifted Posterior
When carrying heavy things in front of our body as we move (such as children or laundry), we naturally lean slightly backward to center the weight. We often continue carrying the upper body behind our hips, similarly to how models walk on a runway. This is an issue that is best identified by viewing a person walking from the side. It will look as though a person is walking up a slight incline when they are actually walking on flat ground.
Signals of walkers with a center of gravity shifted posterior include: slower walk, poor posture, headache, back ache, and shoulder tension.
When carrying heavy things in front of our body as we move (such as children or laundry), we naturally lean slightly backward to center the weight. We often continue carrying the upper body behind our hips, similarly to how models walk on a runway. This is an issue that is best identified by viewing a person walking from the side. It will look as though a person is walking up a slight incline when they are actually walking on flat ground.
Signals of walkers with a center of gravity shifted posterior include: slower walk, poor posture, headache, back ache, and shoulder tension.
To correct: Focus on keeping your shoulder blades closer to your spine which will lift
and slide your rib cage more forward. This will generate more forward momentum while walking and create better balance between the upper and lower halves of the body.
Adopting proper walking form is the best and most lasting way to reducing and eliminating pain and fatigue during walking. However, if you have a bio mechanical issue present in your joints and/or muscles, then a correction in form alone may not lead to an immediate reduction in symptoms. In these cases it is important to seek out a trained professional to correct the issue and allow you to continue taking strides to proper walking form. Thanks for reading.
Dr. Drew
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If you have any questions about the information in this blog or would like to contact Dr. Drew, please visit our website: www.backandbodycb.com , call the office: (712) 314-0136, or email: drdrew@backandbodycb.com
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