Are you coachable regarding something as simple as walking? May I ask you some very important questions that affect many areas of our total happiness and health? Are you feeling any discomfort, issues, or pain when you sit, stand, or walk? Do you have any pain in your feet, ankles, calves, knees, hips, jaw, lower back, shoulders, or neck when you sit or walk? Unfortunately, the majority of people would honestly answer yes. And I must admit that this is an area that has been affecting me significantly recently. With so much of my attention and life dedicated to being fit and healthy, I have been experiencing significant pain in my right Achilles tendon, left foot, left knee, and hips for over two years now. If you have been experiencing pain in any of the body areas mentioned above, please continue reading with an open mind, because after significant expense and research, we discovered new information and new insights that may be a game changer for you. This blog post poses the hypothesis: What if wonky walking is wrecking your whole body? This is an important topic that was written about in a previous Morningstar NEWS blog post on June 27, 2014, titled Walking Well or Walking Woes.
This new and updated blog was specifically written with Baby Boomers in mind. But it is also important for readers of all ages, because the key to avoiding most pain is to find your walking weak links and implement adjustments and modifications now to prevent alignment and functional movement issues from becoming worse. BTW, over the last several years I have invested several thousand dollars in chiropractic treatment, doctor visits, exercise equipment, MRIs, physical therapy, and X-rays to figure out how to reverse my challenges, issues, and pain. My goal is to help you and other people you know avoid frustration, injuries, pain, and suffering, and save money and time, by identifying your walking weak links now and implementing new solutions, strategies, and suggestions.
What is Wonky Walking?
Most people are not fully aware of how their alignment, foot position, posture, shoes, and stride while walking have a negative or positive impact on their entire anatomy, physiology, and wellness. Most people walk without awareness, consciousness, or mindfulness of the key functional factors and mechanical movements that affect their whole body. How people walk may actually be doing more harm than good to some parts of their body.
My observations indicate that about 90% of people are walking wonky with an alignment, foot position, gait, posture, shoe, or stride issue, which often results in pain, physical harm, and problems over time. These wonky walking woes may very well be the primary reasons so many people are suffering from back, foot, hip, knee, and neck pain. Our physiology, which consists of our alignment, posture, structural function, and much more, is the foundation that determines our happiness, harmony, health, and overall well-being. Wonky walking can lead to major medical expenses due to the pain, problems, and surgery that may result.
Basic Benefits and First Focus for Walking Wellness
- Alignment of all parts of our body is key. Check your feet first to make sure they are parallel, and your toes are pointed straight forward.
- Ankle flexibility, mobility, and position are key to our steps and walking.
- Achilles tendon is the tendon between your calf and heel. It needs to be flexible and strong, since it controls the entire ankle and leg movement.
- Arms play a role in your posture when walking. It is important for your arms to swing back and forth naturally, parallel, with the thumbs pointing forward. Arms are key to back and shoulder alignment.
- The back refers to the bones connecting our skull to our pelvis and tailbone. It is vital to maintain, protect, and support our back with alignment, exercise, and posture awareness.
- Bones are the framework that provides functionality, movement, and structure for our body. Bones must be maintained and nourished to stay strong. Bones need to be aligned.
- Cartilage is the connective and cushioning tissue between bones and joints. We must maintain it with exercise, movement, nutrition, and protection strategies.
- Calf muscles are key to the functionality and mobility of our legs and walking. They must be kept flexible and strong.
- Fascia is the connective tissue that contains and surrounds our muscles and organs to keep them in place. Our fascia’s flexibility, free movement, and function are vital to our walking and wellness.
- Feet are the foundation for our entire body. Feet are the first thing we should think about before walking. Feet must be flexible, exercised, and strong to support our body’s movement and weight.
- Foot stride and strike are key concepts to focus on. Focus on your foot flexibility and placing your feet softly on the ground. It is important to have a comfortable stride.
- Gait is the specific function, movement, positioning, and style related to a person’s walk.
- Head position and posture are key components of walking and wellness. Be sure your head is held erect and straight. Your eyes can look down and forward, but it is important to keep your head up to protect the alignment of your neck and spine.
- Heel alignment, placement, and protection are important considerations for walking wellness. High heels and improperly fitting shoes contribute to foot and heel issues.
- Hips must be aligned, flexible, and properly positioned to act as a hinge for mobility and movement. Be sure to keep your hips and pelvis aligned and neutral for optimal movement.
- Joints are where bones come together and allow movement to occur. It is essential to maintain, protect, and use our joints with proper function and positioning.
- Knees are key to balance, movement, stability, and walking. It is very important to be sure your ankles, knees, and hips are aligned and functioning with good form and positioning.
- Neck alignment, flexibility, and positioning are vital to our posture and health. Neck pain is an indicator on our dashboard that something needs attention and TLC.
- Pace is the speed at which we walk. It is important to have a comfortable pace. It is also important to vary our pace, faster and slower, for additional benefits and safety.
- Pelvis refers to the bones that connect the hips and legs to the spine. We must learn to align, position, and protect our pelvis.
- Shoes are an important connection between our feet and the walking surface. Important considerations for our shoes are the fit, heel, length, material, shape, and sole. An entire future blog post will be dedicated to the benefits, choices, considerations, decisions, and important factors regarding shoe selection.
- Shoulders are a key part of our alignment and posture. It is important to keep our shoulders in a good, neutral position, with the shoulder blades held in place to control the arms.
- Sole is the entire surface from your heel to your toes. The sole is a very important consideration because it can help you or hurt you depending on different factors. This will be addressed more soon.
- Spine is the series of connected bones that links our pelvis to our skull. Our spine is one of the most important, and yet most often abused and overlooked, areas of our body. Back and neck pain are common contributing factors that affect our walking and wellness.
- Stride is the length of our step when we walk. When our stride is too long or too short, it can cause consequences for many other areas of our body. Our stride is also an indicator of alignment and posture issues.
- Surface refers to the condition and texture of the area we are walking on.
- Tendons connect bones to muscles. They are the rubber bands that allow our bones, joints, and muscles to function properly. Tendons need to be flexible and properly maintained for a full range of motion.
- Toes play an important role in our feet, movement, and walking. Toes are the springs that put a spring in our step. Toes must be free to bend, expand, flex, and move, and not be constricted, pinched, or restricted.
Walking Wellness vs Walking Woes
Reading or re-reading the previous blog from June 27, 2013, titled Walking Well or Walking Woes, will provide some key proactive pointers, productive strategies, and protective coaching to help with walking wellness and avoid walking woes. The ten tips for walking wellness in that blog are even more important as we age and progress along our timeline. What happens when your vehicle’s tires are out of alignment or out of balance? Most of us know that these issues can be very dangerous and expensive, so we take good care of our vehicles. Since our bodies must last ten times longer than our vehicles, isn’t it common sense that we should maintain and tune our bodies to the highest level possible?
Most people are rarely aware of their alignment, functionality, and posture when walking until pain and problems occur. When people lack awareness of their walking ergonomics, they can establish harmful patterns that eventually result in pain and problems.
Call to Action?
How do you look when you are walking? Are there any indications of arm, head, leg, neck, or spine positioning that could contribute to wonky walking? A great step to help you be more aware and conscious of your walking wellness is to use a video camera to record your walking from the back, front, and side. Consulting an ergonomic expert on movement and walking may also be a good idea to help you identify patterns and come up with a modification prescription for walking wellness. At a minimum, video yourself and apply the Walking Wellness principles provided.
Mastery Action Plan (MAP)
What steps can you take now to learn more about your walking wellness patterns and have your walking analyzed? Will a video of your walking help? What can you do to receive ergonomic and functional movement coaching to make any modifications necessary to correct wonky walking?
Passion and Purpose
The Morningstar NEWS passion and purpose is to share lifestyle prescriptions, such as the importance of Walking Wellness, for pain-free health and longevity.
“Walking is man’s best medicine.” — Hippocrates
“I think best when I walk.” — Albert Einstein
“Wonky walking can wreck our whole body.” — Michael Morningstar
The next Morningstar NEWS blog will share:
Are Your Feet Happy with Your Footwear? Solutions, Strategies, and Suggestions
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