See if you can walk without thinking of anything. Just let your body do what it wants to do.
Then check with the list below if it matches your experience! If not, I invite you to pick one point of gait to focus on during your next walk. Notice areas of tension and see if you can relax them.
Notice how differently you walk with shoes on and shoes off.
I suggest you slow down your pace, taking small steps
To improve your walking, I invite you to start relaxing and moving your feet, your ankles, your knees, your hips and pelvis. You need mobility in all these joints as you start building strength in all the muscles that attach to them.
I also suggest that you improve your balance.
Then check with the list below if it matches your experience! If not, I invite you to pick one point of gait to focus on during your next walk. Notice areas of tension and see if you can relax them.
Notice how differently you walk with shoes on and shoes off.
I suggest you slow down your pace, taking small steps
To improve your walking, I invite you to start relaxing and moving your feet, your ankles, your knees, your hips and pelvis. You need mobility in all these joints as you start building strength in all the muscles that attach to them.
I also suggest that you improve your balance.
Breaking down a hip-powered gait
How to use your glutes in gait?
By improving your posterior push-off: the ability of the whole of your back leg, from big toe to hip to power your walk.
For the posterior push-off you need, amongst other things:
- mobility in your toes, including the big toe (extension)
- mobility in your ankle (dorsiflexion)
- aligned/centered femurs (glutes can't engage naturally when your femurs are stuck in internal rotation)
- hip flexors at optimal resting length (if you sit more than you stand/walk, then they are unlikely to be)
- a neutral, centered, stable pelvis from which the femur can move back (your hip joint is created by the ball of the femur articulating within the socket in your pelvis)
- the ability to stand on one leg with both legs straight (as pictured)
- no shoes or minimalist shoes (standard shoes restrict the necessary movement in your forefoot and don't allow the movement of pushing the ground away from you)
If your brain hurts, that's normal!
Think of natural gait as a puzzle, working on each piece at a time.
By improving your posterior push-off: the ability of the whole of your back leg, from big toe to hip to power your walk.
For the posterior push-off you need, amongst other things:
- mobility in your toes, including the big toe (extension)
- mobility in your ankle (dorsiflexion)
- aligned/centered femurs (glutes can't engage naturally when your femurs are stuck in internal rotation)
- hip flexors at optimal resting length (if you sit more than you stand/walk, then they are unlikely to be)
- a neutral, centered, stable pelvis from which the femur can move back (your hip joint is created by the ball of the femur articulating within the socket in your pelvis)
- the ability to stand on one leg with both legs straight (as pictured)
- no shoes or minimalist shoes (standard shoes restrict the necessary movement in your forefoot and don't allow the movement of pushing the ground away from you)
If your brain hurts, that's normal!
Think of natural gait as a puzzle, working on each piece at a time.
You all know that walking is good for you.
You have probably heard that brisk walking is more beneficial. However not many people tell you that the way you walk matters. And if you walk fast, you might be using more momentum and less of your muscles. You may be unaware of any balance issues which become apparent when you slow right down. If you have answered yes to any of the questions on the poster, there will be consequences on the health of your joints, bones and muscles over time and it is well worth knowing this, ideally before soft tissue start to cause discomfort or bones start to weaken or tendons start to suffer. Prevention is always better than cure! Although pain is a great motivator for change! Pain is the way your body signals to you that something needs to change asap! Understanding what these questions mean is essential to make gradual improvements to the way you walk. The idea is to walk in a way that is beneficial now, to keep you walking with ease for many years to come. |
Helping clients improve the way they walk is something I really enjoy as it's powerful self-care.
I have summarised the points that come up most often but please note that your gait is completely unique to you. Don't take my word for me - put the adjustments into practice and see for yourself how each individual one feels to you. Keep or discard them as you wish. Please do not overcorrect as this introduces tension - never correct tension with tension as it is always counterproductive. A few exercises are excellent to practise individually at home, to ease into the adjustments more easily. Eventually they become part of the way you walk with ease, stability and strength. |
Five tips for walking, with a focus on leg movementFive more tips for walking, with a focus on gentle alignmentClick the photo to watch a video
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1. One-legged balance (practise pelvic list, knee cap release)
2. Transfer weight from ball to heel (practise bottom of the foot stretch, toe lifts) 3. Posterior push-off (practise psoas release, iliacus release, quad stretch, lunge) 4. Land on a straight leg (practise patella centering, shin rotation) 5. Heel touches down first (practise pelvic list to clear foot off the floor and control landing of the foot) 1. Feet straight & pelvis-width apart
2. Neutral pelvis (pubic bone on vertical line with ASIS 3. Neutral ribcage (relaxed down, on top of pelvis) 4. Head ramp (chin slid back and crown of head reaching up) 5. Reciprocal arm swing (elbow pits forward, thumb forward |
Stability in the pelvis and mobility and strength in the hips are also essential.
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Notice if this is the way you walk, or if you know someone who walks a bit like this. Of course, gait is specific to each individual. There are several habits that are very revealing though.
How we walk matters just as much (if not more) than how far we walk. When we walk well (for example, using our hips and feet), we are able to walk for longer without issues because we involve more parts |
Quick gait analysis on a client who went on to rupture their Achilles. It could have been avoided! But not everyone listens... This experience made me want to help people even more and communicate better.
Do trainers have heels? Yes, they do. Any elevation under the heel makes the pelvis move forward, creating issues below (hips, knees, ankles, feet). It doesn't mean you have to ditch your favourite trainers straight away. I wouldn't recommend it as your body adjusts to the shape of the environment (shoes, chairs, soft furnishings) and it needs time to adjust out of it. When toes are immobile, the lower leg works harder. Try this: immobilise your fingers by keeping them stuck to each other and try and do all the things you normally do. Do you notice that you use your forearm more? |
I love watching indigenous people walk. Their gait is untouched by modern living (slouching in chairs and wearing tight, stiff shoes)
This is a member of the Zo’é tribe who live in the Amazon rainforest in Brazil. Such a strong, natural gait, isn't it? Of course, there is more to gait than the feet and lower legs, but it's a great place to start! You might not care much about how you walk, but it gives a great indication of the state of your health and your ability to heal. I love watching indigenous people walk. Their gait is untouched by modern living (slouching in chairs and wearing tight, stiff shoes). |
I love watching young children wait. Their gait is relatively untouched, until we get them to sit quietly!
Here, my son's stride is accelerated by the shoes, I believe. So his leg seems quite a long way forward. However the ability to fully balance on one leg is still there! |
Of course, there is more to gait than the feet and lower legs, but it's a great place to start!
You might not care much about how you walk, but it gives a great indication of the state of your health and your ability to heal.
You might not care much about how you walk, but it gives a great indication of the state of your health and your ability to heal.
Walking with locked knees - not ideal!
Click the picture to watch video.
Solution: practise the Knee cap release. Visit the section on Knees, Hips, Feet & ankles.
Solution: practise the Knee cap release. Visit the section on Knees, Hips, Feet & ankles.
Landing on a bent leg when walking on flat terrain - not ideal!
Click the picture to watch video. I would practise the pelvic list (one-legged balance on two straight legs) a few times a day!
Hip-friendly gait - using lateral hip muscles to balance
Click on picture to watch a video
