Unlocking the Power of Proper Walking: Why It Matters for Your Health and Well-being
I was diagnosed with depression in 2018 and, along side talk therapy, my psychologist advised me to walk each day. I hated it! I was tired, I was depressed and trudging around the streets of my village seemed like the ultimate humiliation! I was an athlete, not a walker - FFS!?!
But, it was meditative, and it did really help to clear my mind and ground me. And I would give credit those daily walks (sometimes shuffling trudges with no spring in my step) for helping me literally and figuratively, get back on my feet!
So it wasn't surprising, when, a year later, I found myself in Lisbon for a 6-day course led by a brilliant guy called Gary Ward, that taught us movement geeks all about how we humans should walk!
You know that Humans are are bipeds, 2-legged, and millennia ago, we decided that walking around upright was the way to go.
In order to get from point A to point B on our 2 feet, and with our 2 legs, and using our 2 arms, there a series of physical events that have to happen. There's a beautiful, economical way that we should move our bodies, which we all learn by repeatedly failing when we make the developmental leap and go from crawling, then standing, then walking. Cue all the cute 'Baby's First Steps' home videos!
Common problems
Now, it's probably been a VERY long time since you learned to walk, and, due to various things happening in both your body and your mind, you have probably adopted faulty ways of walking around. And whether you're aware of it or not, these faulty movements, done day after day, countless times, are causing strain, compensation and pain.
Add to that, none of us walk nearly enough. The Uk's Natioanl Health Service advocated for a brisk, 10 minute walk per day for good health. And you've probably heard about the 10 000 steps per day recommendation.
But, you're probably not covering that much ground, and, if you are, and you're doing it incorrectly, imagine the number of opportunities you have to reinforce those faulty movement patterns that then go on to cause you pain and dysfunction throughout your body!?
How I can help
So, one of the key things I help my clients with is learning to walk properly again, so that they begin to heal themselves with every step, giving themselves countless opportunities each day to build back better movement systems to reduce the body in their bodies.
I love movement, I always have! And, over the years, and through extensive study and observation of human anatomy, I am now an expert in analysing your movements in a dynamic and integrated way. This involves understanding the structure and function of the human body's various systems, such as muscles, bones, joints, and connective tissues, as they relate to the mechanics of movement.
I can instantly see how different parts of your body work together during movement, rather than looking at them in isolation. I can then show you exactly where you're going wrong, and treat you using manual therapy techniques, or corrective movement exercises so that you begin to walk well again. This holistic approach is important for you as you'll be gaining a deeper understanding of your own biomechanics - how your unique body is designed to move correctly, learning how to prevent injury, as well as optimizing your performance.
My aim is to get you moving well again from head to toe so that you'll be able to move more freely, and get back to enjoying all your favourite activities with less friction, pain and fatigue.
Gait Analysis is just one of the many tools I use with my clients to get them out of pain and keep them out of pain. If you would like to see how your gait pattern is causing you pain, and what you can do about your faulty movement patterns, then click here to get a Body Tuning Session with me.
A Body Tuning Session is a great opportunity to get assessed properly; from head to toe, and inside and out. I take the time to watch how you stand, walk, breathe and articulate your spine so that you understand where your body is right now, why it's hurting you, and how, with my help, you can get it back to where it should be and get it out of pain for good!
