What Is Walking And How To Do It Right
Walking is fundamental.
But that doesn’t mean that you walk well.
There is a correct way to walk and I meet very few people who know that.
Almost everyone takes walking for granted. This amazes me since the way we walk has a profound effect on the way we feel and the way we age.
Walking correctly is mainly about the upright body making use of gravity as if falls forward through space.
You might hear that walking is actually falling. This isn’t exactly correct. Walking is more like a series of short propulsive bursts.
When one foot is in front of the other there is a moment when the upper body is directly on top of the pelvis.
In the next moment, the upper body begins to move past that front leg.
The brain senses that the body is about to fall.
At which point it tells the psoas major, of the back leg, to pull it forward catching the body.
And then it becomes the front leg. So then the brain tells the psoas major to pull the other leg forward.
And the same thing happens on the other side. And this happens over and over and over again.
When the back foot pushes off to come forward, the big gluteus maximus is working along with the hamstrings.
The tensor fascia latae stabilizes the knee of the back leg. At the same time, the calf muscles and hip flexors are fully extended priming them for the contraction of the next step.
If the leg moves straight forward the muscle work is minimized.
And if the foot falls successfully the heel lands under the knee.
As a result, the arches of the feet can work correctly providing the spring in the step that propels us forward.
Walking Well Can Heal All Sorts Of Aches And Pains
As your brain registers the need for the back leg to come forward the push off of the back foot helps the psoas major initiate the movement of the femur bone.
The psoas major, due to its connection at the back of the inner thigh, externally rotates the inner thigh and the inner knee out to the side slightly.
This external rotation is balanced by a number of factors all resulting in the leg moving straight forward. And the foot falls near parallel relatively in line with the ischial tuberosity or sit bone.
One of the inner thigh muscles (adductor magnus) attaches to the base of the pelvis as well as the pubic bone.
And this provides a check on the psoas externally rotating too much.
The same side hip rotates forward through the tone in the iliacus muscle and the obliques.
The gluteus medius and minimus work with the psoas to move the leg forward.
Muscle tone in the trunk stabilizes the spine on top of the pelvis allowing for a balanced twist through all of the abdominal muscles. As well as the muscles of the upper back and chest.
A level head finishes the picture sitting directly on top of the pelvis.
If you learn to walk correctly you can work out every muscle in your body with each step you take.