How do you know that you have problems with gait, and how to fix it

If you are concerned about pain in the back, knees, hip joints and headaches, you should pay attention to the way you walk.

Anna Fedak

Recreation therapist, yoga instructor, an expert on healthy lifestyles, postpartum doula, author blog of perinatal yoga and functional fitness.

Correct and incorrect gait

With proper gait spine straight, head, shoulders and pelvis are almost motionless, his hands moving to the beat walking. Body weight moves smoothly from one foot to the step width is not more than two feet in length. At each step, some muscles relax, the other - cut alternately. In general, in walking involved more than 200 muscles.

If disturbed normal mechanism of walking, muscle necessary time is not included, but its antagonist relaxes. There is a violation of muscular balance. As a consequence, there are muscle spasms, tension, pain, Shortened and weakened some other muscles. You can try to correct this imbalance massages from a chiropractor or osteopath, but the problem will quickly return. Indeed, after the session, you will once again play the same motor errors that led you to a specialist.

Some causes of irregular gait

One of the most common types of abnormal gait - "sleeping" gluteus maximus. It should stabilize the pelvis during walking, but do not do it. There is a cascade of muscle imbalances characteristic and pain. pelvic instability is accompanied by weakness of the abdominal rectus muscles, large and gluteus medius muscle, shortening pear, lumbar-iliac, square lumbar muscles, abdominal oblique muscles and direct thigh muscle. Disrupted the function of the hip joint, it begins to break down and hurt, in fact it is redistributed load.

The task of the gluteus maximus - to provide pushing leg forward at a pace. See photos runnersThey run with straight body without moving the center of gravity forward, due to the strength of the gluteal muscles.

If each step gluteus will push the foot forward, not only the priest will be more beautiful, but also:

• the pelvis is stable, it will not change the tilt, warp or twist in the hand;
• will leave with a load of the hip joints, they will cease to break and hurt;
• step will be freer and gait - easier and more beautiful.

Conversely, if the gluteus maximus is not doing its job, then:

• lumbar-iliac and rectus femoris is gradually shortened, the step becomes heavy;
• quadratus lumborum shortened or overextended;
• overstrained erectors, as in step actively involved lumbar;
• pelvis becomes unstable;
• occur low back pain, Hips, knees.

Options irregular gait

1. At each step, the pelvis tilts forward, there is a deflection in the lower back.

2. At each step of the pelvis is twisted from side to side.

3. At each step, the weight is transferred to the hips, pelvis warps.

4. Shuffling gait, legs dragged along the ground with each step.

An exercise that will help to correct the gait

What do we do with the "sleeping" gluteus maximus? We must begin to work with shortened lumbar-iliac muscles and muscles of the front of the thigh: make them functional length. stretchTo put it in plain language. This will allow to align the pelvis and allow the gluteal muscles include in their daily activity.

It is better to start with the preparatory exercises. We will stretch the left lumbar-iliac and the rectus femoris.

Stand evenly on two feet, take the right back, left to remain vertically in line with the body. Put your right foot on the toe and straighten the knee without moving anywhere pelvis relative to the housing. Already at this point, you can feel the tension of the front of the thigh, the front of the hip or slightly inside. Then at this position, and it is necessary while to stop.

Please note that the pelvis should not go over the allotted foot. If this happens, it means you just cave in at the waist and useless exercise. As soon as you cease to feel the tension in the hip back down the leg farther.

To gluteus involved in walking, thigh be stretched about a wide stride length. Jogging - a little more.

If you do this exercise for a week or two, you will notice that the step becomes long, free, a desire to "turn on" the gluteal muscles.

prevention

Even if you have no pain, you also can not hurt to include this exercise in your workout routine. It has been used in one form or another in many occupations. For example, in yoga Everyone knows virabhadrasana I. Notice how it should be carried out to obtain a therapeutic effect for improving gait.

To remind the body to correct movement patterns, sometimes do this: lay the hips of a stick, grasp her hands and so be like 5-10 minutes. With your gait, everything is good, if a stick to walk as easily as without it.

And do not forget another great way: walking with a book on his head.