Orthopedic & Pelvic Health Physical Therapy and Restorative Exercise Blog

Walking in Alignment

5/14/2012

Springtime is upon us and that means sunny skies and no excuses not to get outside and walk.

Here are some key points to keep in mind when walking:

Feet straight ahead.
Feet hip width apart.
Push back with your stance leg to move you forward.
As the swing leg advances, land with a heel strike.
Make sure you land with a straight leg.
Keep your trunk vertical.
Don’t forget your arm swing (make sure elbow pits face forward).

Here are some stretches to lengthen your stride. Keep on Movin' :

Calf Stretch.

Hamstring stretch with yoga strap.

Gluteal Strengthening: balance on a block

Work on strengthening your lateral hip for single limb support during gait. Stand on a block for balance and strengthening of the glut med.

Hip flexor release on yoga block. Place block under your sacrum. Make sure it is not above your waistband. Relax here 5 min.

After the release, kick one leg out straight and slowly lower to the ground.

Once your heel is down to the floor, reach your heel away to traction the hip joint. Feel a stretch in the groin area.

Susan McLaughlin is a physical therapist who specializes in the management of pelvic floor and orthopedic dysfunctions. She is the owner of ALIGN integration|movement in Salt Lake City, UT. Helpful tips and other self care strategies can be found at www.alignintegrationandmovement.com.

27 Comments

Julia Martin

5/14/2012 09:17:43 pm

Outstanding! Ribs down is something I always try to think about also. So glad you are blogging.

suzie cozzi

5/15/2012 02:18:52 am

You say in the bottom photo, place block under you sacrum, but it looks like the block is in the mid back. Am I seeing this correctly?

Susan

5/15/2012 03:24:08 am

Suzie,
The block may look like it is under my back, but it is under my pelvis at the sacrum. Just make sure that it doesn't sit above your waistband. You want your pelvis to be able to relax backward.

5/15/2012 03:21:33 am

Ribs down is great! That awareness is more advanced... as you are!

Mona

7/27/2012 06:52:19 pm

Susan, where can I find your update on above pictures, you re-posted them with a more detailed description. Thanks

7/28/2012 04:08:26 am

Mona,
I highlighted stride length and hip extension on my Facebook page and then followed up a few days later with the block release. Is that what you mean? Here is a link to my facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/alignintegrationandmovement

Replacement Shoulder Surgery link

8/6/2012 07:35:03 pm

I found this blog to be useful! Very well is the information shared along with the postures greatly shown. Thank you!

Maureen

8/18/2013 10:57:55 am

Hi Susan, I implemented the elbow pits facing forwards today on my walk but now my neck and upper shoulder on one side are sore. Could I have used the wrong muscles to change my elbow pit direction or is this soreness normal after making this change? Thank you!
Maureen

8/19/2013 12:53:00 am

Maureen,
Thank you for comment. I have a hunch of what may have happened: with this new pattern with the arm in neutral we don't have very much extension of the arm (bringing it behind), so your neck and shoulder may have kicked in gear to help. Stand in the mirror and notice what your shoulders and neck do when you swing your arms. Now place the elbow pits forward so the arm is in neutral and notice your swing. Do you notice your muscles fire a little bit on that side. It may be subtle.
Also, notice your head position when you walk. Most of us carry our head forward with the chin lifted. See if you can check in with your head when walking: you want to have the chin soft and the back of the neck long. Hope this helps, Susan

8/24/2013 06:05:18 am

That did help, thank you!

Penny

8/19/2013 06:04:21 am

could you do the same with a foam roll?

8/19/2013 06:52:29 am

Penny,
You can use a foam roll or a thick hardcover book with a pillow on it.
Thanks for your comment, Susan

5/2/2014 04:23:29 am

Hi Susan,
A gal I work with always comments on my walk-- she says it is "cute" how I move my hips. I paid extra attention on my walk during lunch today and the hip on my forward leg does move up when I walk, and the back hip goes down (as I push off with the back leg). I tried to remove that motion from my walk and found my stride had to greatly shortened. Should my hip being coming up (almost like I'm doing the Katy Bowman hip list exercise) to make room for my leg to move.....or am I compensating for something tight? Should it come up to the extent that someone comments on it? You might not be able to answer this without seeing the walk in person but I thought I would ask. Thanks!

5/2/2014 11:33:46 pm

Maureen,
It is hard to know what is really happening when you walk without seeing you move. It could be so many things. It does sound like if you are lifting up a lot your may be using your back muscles. Keep freeing up your hips as shown in the exercises above.
Susan

5/2/2014 04:23:38 am

Marcia

5/4/2014 01:55:48 am

I just did a one-mile walk concentrating on these points. Pushing back with the stance leg made a huge difference. I felt completely different muscles firing. The point that gave me the most trouble was the arm one. I have neck and shoulder issues from too much computer time. Are there any stretches or exercises I can do to correct these issues so that the correct arm position is comfortable for me? (BTW, I'm a Boomer just discovering the field of alignment therapy. I follow Katy Bowman and Beth Learn in addition to you. You women are rocking my world!)

Robyn

12/17/2014 11:58:00 pm

I have just discovered your blog and am finding it immensely helpful. Have a long history of spine and hip woes (L5S1 fusion - and then 3 subsequent hip surgeries including a THR last year). I'm still in tremendous pain, with a very unstable si joint. A recent pt eval said that I do not "push off" in gait on my Left side. I stay in "probation" phase and then don't have a firm lever to propel myself forward on. Subsequently he said I am "pulling" with my hip flexors. My question for you relates to this "push off" issue. I noticed you said above that my push off should come from the stance leg when it's in extension -- but I wondered if you meant from the heel or the forefoot. I know the Glute max should help push me forward, but is it the plantar flexors and front of foot that I should be pushing off of in your opinion? Any thoughts/insight you may have would be appreciated so much!

12/18/2014 06:06:31 am

Robyn,
Thank you for reading the blog. In reference to this post the push off here is active hip extension once the fool lands on the ground to heel off (propulsion phase to get ready for swing). Basically the entire back line of the leg is concentrically working. My suggestion would be not to force or contrive your gait pattern. See if you can begin to free up your feet to be able to pronate and supinate. See if you can free up your hips in all dimensions.

Best, Susan

Robyn link

12/18/2014 10:33:28 pm

I really appreciate Susan! Thank you for your thoughtful response. So the key here is the active hip extension and the push off should come from the heel then? That is what I'd always believed (stay back on heel and turn on posterior chain)...but this new pt had me reconsidering how I use the front of my foot. I do have pronation and ankle collapses some. I guess that is why I tend not to "resupinate" the foot in toe-off. I will look through your achieves for more on the foot work. I do think proper walking mechanics may be very important for me. I'm a pro at static exercises (planks/squats/lunges etc.) but there is something way off when I try to move forward in space! Gratitude ~ Robyn

12/18/2014 10:41:59 pm

Robyn,
The push off is the whole process: from strike of the heel at initial contact to foot flat to heel off. It is not one segment or joint, it is the whole kinetic chain. Where do you live? Maybe I have a colleague in you area you could work with. Susan

12/18/2014 10:52:57 pm

Appreciate!! I live in Westhampton, NY. Will be spending the winter months in Florida (Miami) this year though - so if you happen to know anyone I might work with in either of these areas, would be wonderful.
So many of my issues relate to the entire kinetic chain. It seems if I get one area stable, the tension patterns "transfer" to another level. It's a complex case, and too many surgical interventions. I am trying to avoid anymore! I appreciate your support!! RL

12/18/2014 11:21:00 pm

Robyn,
When you are in Miami, definitely get in touch with Ruben Serrano: chekpractitioner@gmail.com
He is a colleague of mine in the Neurokinetic Therapy world. Very cool stuff. He could be of help!
Best, Susan

12/19/2014 01:31:13 am

Thanks Susan - I will definitely look Ruben up! I actually own David Weinstock's book (Neurokinetic Therapy)... Was fascinated with trying to figure this stuff out - but the book doesn't really give many solutions beyond the testing. I've never seen anyone versed in it but would love to. Do you think Ruben would be interested in a case like mine with more of a rehab focus (vs athletic). I see his is located about 10 miles from where I will be living. Excited!

12/19/2014 02:37:16 am

Robyn,
Yes of course! Just tell him what you need, Susan

2/2/2015 06:59:21 pm

Susan, can you offer some tips on knowing if my stance is hip width apart? Thank you for taking the time to respond to all of our questions!

2/3/2015 04:50:37 am

Maureen,

I explain hip width in the first minute of this you tube video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zn5SG0ZbcmQ

Robyn Sheren

2/3/2015 05:37:09 am

Walking in Alignment

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