For most of us, walking is one of the most common activities we take part in on a daily basis and yet we give very little thought to just how we walk. The way we walk can tell us a lot about what is going on in the body when we’re trying to figure out misalignment issues leading to chronic pain in the feet/knees/hips and lower back. Proper gait can also be a valuable tool for correcting these misalignments thus leading to a end of chronic pain.
When discussing walking we refer to it as gait, specifically the gait cycle which includes two steps. Each step in the gait cycle is broken down into two parts, the stance (when a foot is weight baring) and swing (when the foot is being propelled forward). The stance is then broken down into various parts (different source will label each part differently but the basic premise is the same).
By examining how the foot behaves in each part of the stance cycle we can learn quite a bit about muscle imbalances throughout the body (when talking about muscle imbalances, I’m referring to structures in the body being held in a misaligned position do to a muscle or group of muscles on one side of a joint chronically overpowering the muscles on the opposite side of the joint when at rest). Of course the are physiological differences between people which will sometimes lead to a modified gait, but for the most part less than optimal gait is related to muscle imbalances developing over time which lead to poor biomechanics in gait.
The four parts of the stance phase in a step are:
- Heal Strike- as it sounds, it’s defined as the moment the back of the heal touches the ground.
- Weight Baring- the port of the step where the sole of the foot is flat on the ground and all of our body weight is supported on the foot
- Active Propulsion- begins as the heal is being lift from the ground and our body weight is transferred to the ball of the foot
- Toe Off- again as it sounds, the moment when the when the toe lifts from the ground.
Ideal gait would see the heal strike at the center of the heal at the back of the foot with body weight being transferred to the foot in weight baring such that body weight is evenly distributing on the bottom of the heal, the out edge of the arch and the ball of the foot with the foot aligned such that there is a straight line from the heal through the index toe in the direction you are moving, toe off is then following through in a smooth motion as the big toe lifts off the ground.
There are many postural imbalances which can lead to the heal striking the ground in less than optimal alignment which will then lead to body weight being transferred poorly through the rest of the stance phase i.e. if you have tight hip flexors your leg will likely have a slight outward rotation during the swing phase thus leading the heal to strike on the out edge of the heal vs the center of the heal.
To learn more about how your gait may be affected by poor posture feel free to book an appointment so we can figure out how to optimize the time you spend on your feet.
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