Run like a Gazelle - Avoid the old man shuffle!

Are you looking for speed?
Balance? Stability?
Do your knees bother you?
Hips? Low Back? Plantar Fasciitis? Swollen Ankles?
Do you feet hurt? Do your shoes wear out on the outer edge?

Do me a favor... March in place (kind of like a soldier). Now look down at your feet.
Notice the position your feet. Are they pointing forward? Pointing out 10, 15, 25, 30, 45 degrees, etc?
In there lies the secret to a better life.

If your feet are pointing any direction other than forward, you need a lesson in how to walk properly.
First let's talk about the knee. The knee is a hinge joint and it swings back and forth. The hip however is a ball joint so it can move in many direction. In walking you should only used your hip like a hinge joint. The hip should lift the leg up and down when walking. The big toe pushes your off. When you walk with your feet pointing forward, the muscles of your ankles, knees and hips work in unison to propel your forward with the big toe.

I once saw a man running down the beach in Fort Lauderdale. He was moving effortlessly fast and reminded me of a gazelle. All of his muscles were working efficiently propelling him forward. I was amazed at his grace and I always remembered it. I was in and extended program of neuromuscular therapy at massage school at the time, learning about how muscles work. Part of our education was to study people out in the field and diagnose what was out of alignment by the way they move, to determine how to treat. He was a perfect example of how everything was lined up. It is not common to see people move so smoothly. Most people have a slight limp, one shoulder twisted forward, feet pointed out, one hip higher than the other causing one leg to be shorter than the other, etc, etc.

Have you ever notice an elderly man carefully shuffling along down the sidewalk? Did you ever wonder how that all happens? How someone who was fit and active when they were younger, can end up with the old man shuffle?

When you walk without the proper alignment, the ankles lock up and eventually fuse to stabilize the body. When the ankles are fused they cannot flex the way they should. It makes the person less stable or able to balance and can lead to falls, a common issue with the elderly.

If you want to avoid or correct any of the issues listed earlier, start with baby steps. When you walk to your car, be conscious how you are moving your feet. You might start noticing your knees feel better, your hips back etc don't bother you so much. Eventually you will think about it more often. When your pain starts returning, that would be a trigger to remember to pay attention to how you walk again.

I have been helping people re-learn how to walk since I started my practice. Most of these patients had these same issues I mentioned earlier. First we release and realign the muscles in therapy, then they are instructed to follow proper walking, the results....those issues seem to disappear. Some have even avoided surgery!

I hope that you can learn to run like gazelles, but if you are not a runner, at least you will age well and avoid the old man shuffle if you follow these simple instruction!

Patricia J Ahner
Acupuncturist, NeuroMuscular Therapist, Esthetician, Reiki Master
www.get-relief.com