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Got Pain? It could be coming from the way you walk


Anyone who deals with clients in pain has heard the following story :

“I don’t remember doing anything. I was just walking around the mall and when I got home I couldn’t get off the couch. I was in so much pain.”

                So what is the problem? How does someone go from strolling the mall and feeling great, to not being able to move?

Here is an idea! Did anyone ever teach you how to walk?  That’s right; your pain may be coming from the way you walk. Many trainers are missing this part of their assessment.  You can tell a lot about a person by the way they walk. Pain, dysfunction, bad mechanics, mood, aura, etc ,  can all be seen in someone’s gait. So how many trainers out there are doing gait analysis?  I can assure you the answer is, not many.  The next question should be, WHY?

                Here is my answer to the WHY question. Not many trainers want to put in the time and effort into understanding how the foot can effect the entire body. A good friend of mine, Dr. Emily, is an expert in gait analysis and gives lectures around the world on how important the foot is to our movement. ( For more info on her information go to www.evidencebasedfitnessacademy.com ) I feel it is something worth learning more about. You will be amazed at how the slightest change in your foot position can change the entire kinetic chain.

But how?  How can the foot effect the shoulder? How can the foot effect the knee? How can the foot effect the lower back? Glad you ask. Here is one example

Let’s say your client has a collapsing arch. This will cause the knees to bow inward while walking. If the knees bow in, it can cause lower back to arch inward to find a stable position for your body. The arching of the lower back can cause your shoulders to round forward to keep your body in a stable upright position.  This client may complain of medial knee pain, lower back pain and shoulder pain. If we correct the collapsing arch do you think everything will correct itself?

In many cases, YES! But obviously with years of poor gait, it will take awhile to correct all the problems, but if you never address the foot, the rest of the problems will most likely never go away.  

So does this mean all trainers must go out and get certified to assess gait? No, all you need to do is find a person who can do the assessment for you. Also, the point of this blog is to increase your awareness about problems with the foot. Most people never look there and wonder why all their corrective work is not holding for long periods of time.  So next time someone is complaining of a pain that came out of nowhere, look at the way they walk, it’s probably telling you all you need to know.

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