Walking the correct way helps us to avoid injuries and improves our health and fitness levels. Walking is a great stress-buster and can be very therapeutic, but have you ever asked yourself. “Do I walk the right way?”
While sports and running are associated with various types of injuries, walking too can cause physical damage if you do not follow some basic rules.
While walking our balance relies on various senses working in tandem together – sight and touch communicate with the sensors in our inner ear that monitor movement, equilibrium and spatial orientation.
Messages are sent to the spinal cord, which in turn governs how our muscles move. Injury, disease or ageing can affect one or more of these systems leading to a loss of balance, which can cause fall.
A healthy sense of balance helps you to adjust to unforeseen obstacles like a stone while walking, react quickly when you slip and change direction quickly ( if you have to pass someone on a stairwell).
Causes of frequent injuries while walking
Although our feet have been designed to adjust and manoeuvre on all types of uneven ground, we tend to stumble and fall if the coordination between the eyes, brain and feet fails. Apart from age-related conditions, fall and injuries may also occur due to lack of attention.
You might be talking on your mobile or texting or listening music on headphones.
Elderly patients with a balance disorder are more prone to fall-related injuries and need to take extra care while walking, especially on an uneven or slippery surface.
You have a balance disorder if you feel:
1. Unsteady, the room spinning around you
2. You are moving when you know you are sitting or standing still.
3. You are losing your balance and about to fall, light-headed or faint as if you have blurred vision, disoriented.
4. Losing your sense of time and space.
To walk the right way and to avoid injury, you need to follow some basic principles.
Avoid over-striding: We tend to over-stride to reach our destination quicker and we sometimes ignore the ground conditions. Over-striding leads to an artificial gait which can hurt your shins.
If you want to walk faster, choose a path which is clear and smooth.
Wear the right footwear: Ill-fitting footwear is the main cause of walk-related injuries. Avoid high heels, shoes that do not support your feet or are uncomfortable, or shoes with uneven soles. AktivOrtho provides a unique service offering customised in-soles. These are made in Germany, using European technology, and then adapted here.
Use the right clothing: Badly-fitting or loose/long clothes such as lungi can also make you stumble when you walk. So wear more fitted clothes that do not hinder your walking pattern.
Avoid darker paths: Use well-lit paths/roads where you can see obstacles. If you must walk on a darker road, carry a torch or use your cell phone light to see the path ahead.
Walk naturally & stay alert: Do not develop an artificial gait or copy someone’s walking style. Use your own natural pattern and walk slowly, steadily, smoothly and with full awareness of your surroundings.
Keep your eyes ahead and down on the path and avoid any distractions.
Walk with your head high & your spine straight:
While walking, keep your posture straight so that your weight and balance are equally distributed between your feet.
Your arms should be bent at 90 degrees and swing back and forth naturally.
Always land your heel first and push off with your toes. Avoid any abrupt change of direction.
Lose excess weight: Excess weight can impede your walking and make it tiring or uncomfortable. Losing weight can make a difference and will help you to walk more easily.
Authors are Sr. Neuro Physiotherapist and Consultant, Orthotics, AktivOrtho
