The Problem with Heel Strike Walking
Vložit
- čas přidán 16. 10. 2021
- The problem with heel strike walking is becoming an increasing topic of interest. This interest has been propelled by the preceding debate about proper foot strike during running. This debate gained prominence after the publication of the popular book, Born to Run. The question is, does heel strike with walking really cause a problem? If it doesn't, why are people insisting that it does? I will give you my answer to this question in this video.
Get The Walking Code Ebook to follow along with the course and videos.
www.movementsphere.com/the-wa...
The human body is incredibly versatile in the ways it moves. This allows us to navigate a wide variety of terrain, from flat ground, uneven ground, steel uphill and downhill slopes, stairs, and much more. It is this versatility that opens the door to many possible errors. The more complex a machine, the easier it is to break, and this holds true for humans as well. Many people develop pain in the back, hips, knees, or feet which are not related to prior injury. They are cause by the daily stresses of normal movement. Reducing your risk of developing this type of pain requires understanding what variations of movement put you at risk. Is it heel striking, or is it something else?
Visit my website: www.movementsphere.com/todd-m...
Video Coaching now Available: Personalized coaching available with Dr. Martin. Click on the link here or in the video for details.
www.movementsphere.com/the-wa...
Join this channel to get access to perks:
/ @toddmartinmd - Jak na to + styl
excellent. if i may just add my personal experience, my lower back pain dramatically improved wearing minimal footwear and significantly smoothing my first contact phase of the gait.
Absolutely. I think the minimalist footwear does not fix the gait but helps you to understand when something is wrong by giving you better immediate input. This allows you to fix your own problem if you have enough awareness.
Thank you Doc.
Wow...I am thorn between your teachings and good arguments and the Grown and Healthy. You are both so convincing. I must admit...that it is easier for me to lead with the heel. You are both very dedicated researchers. Glad that someone is exploring to improving walking techniques...You both are the best ones out there!
Thanks.Peter. The more you study and practice, the more you will find your own answer.
Yes...I like your advice Dr. Martin!
I just go something in between and go for mid-foot strike.
@@shadowrealm6 Why? That is not how the body is designed to walk and it is incredibly inefficient.
@@ToddMartinMD i feel that heel striking puts excessive pressure on the heel and mid foot striking distributes the pressure on the whole foot more evenly. Ive tried both types and i find this one more effective. I could change my mind later tho..
An excellent vlog!!!🍁
Thank you!!
Wow!!!! I think you got it ! Thank you 😄 😊 ☺️
Thanks
I incorrectly ascribed my pain to heel striking but actually it was a combo of duck feet and flat feet. But now that they are corrected I feel zero pain with a heel strike. The flat feet correction was probably the biggest game changer. Although I have to consciously engage my foot muscles to create the arch, it’s become a habit now.
I did experiment with forefoot strike too but it required me to raise my leg higher, kind of like I’m marching, to create a proper forefoot strike. Didn’t feel natural. So I switched back to heel strike.
Congratulations on recognizing and correcting you issue. That’s really awesome.
@@ToddMartinMD thanks to your videos too! Couldn’t have done it without your info
How did you fix your flat feet
I'm a trainer who's been training for 16 years, and I've always walked with a hill strike. I've exercised almost every day and I've had a lot of time to walk, but it's good to feel that my lower body muscles are strengthened as I start walking with my forefoot. Bend muscles and hamstrings are well used at the right time. I can move without getting tired and my body feels light. I'll study more in the future, but it feels better to walk with my front feet until now.
If you are trying to get an extra workout then any gait that uses a more bent knee is going to increase the muscle work, even if landing on the heel. That only demonstrates it is a less efficient way to move for the purpose of locomotion. People can walk however they choose. I only have an issue with people trying to claim that heel strike is wrong and unnatural.
Interesting video
Thanks
Alexander, the technique guy, recommends keeping your mind in your heels when you walk. Is this a good idea for a beginner who is trying to correct his gate?
I am not sure how that would be a good idea since all movement starts in your center. I recommend people keep their mind at the source of the movement.
I see your point and I feel like you are most likely correct. However, how do you respond to the point that without shoes in a natural environment that is not paved or concrete it is more likely to walk on the forefoot because of the caution we must take due to the hazards on the ground like twigs and thorns and insects etc. sometimes I hike barefoot or go rock climbing bare foot and in those situations the forefoot strike feels natural
I would watch my 30 minute video show to Walk Forefoot vs heel strike In Response to Bob and Brad for full explanation of all points. But in short, if you are walking with a normal gait on level ground, the heel strike is natural regardless of the surface. There is very little force on heel contact when walking correctly barefooted so there is no advantage to walking forefoot, plus forefoot is very inefficient. A habitual barefoot walker is also going to have thick calluses on there feet so stepping on twigs or stones or insects is a non issue. Plus the skin on the heel is no more sensitive than the rest of the foot, so why would walking forefoot be better? There are times you may place forefoot, like stepping over large branch where you have to step down, or forward. But that is the exception, not the rule.
I’m really enjoying your channel but it’s created a Xeno paradox for me. That is, the more I think about how I walk the more impossible walking seems. And yet I walk and people are walking all around me. So it must be possible.
On a comment I made to your Tai Chi vid you told me that you dance and teach tango, which is a graceful and sensual way to move. I’d love to see you do a vid on that.
I have thought about doing tango videos, but the market is really small and even smaller for the sort of detail I provide. It would be very difficult or impossible to learn by video. But my Core Technique do work perfectly for tango.
I think telling people not to heel strike helps them not to overstride since landing on your heel while not overstriding requires an amount of dorsiflexion most people can't do since they are constantly wearing shoes with elevated heels. If you can dorsiflex, you can heelstrike - if not, you're overstriding. Or am I getting it wrong?
It doesn’t take that much dorsiflexion to place correctly on the heel. Most people use their core incorrectly and that is the problem. The people on CZcams telling people that heel striking is not natural, and that forefoot strike is the natural way, are incorrect.
I have walked more miles than I care to mention.
Walking long distance is extremely healthy.
Running/jogging seems good at first, but in the long run good luck with your joints later.
Toe heel is good for your calves, and is quieter.
Most people thump around like animals.
People are lazy with their bodies. Even at the gym it’s the same. I want to see someone lift 200lbs then set it down on glad without breaking it.
That is strength, that is control
One fluid motion people with grace
The more walking the better. It should be heel first, but many people do that incorrectly and can cause knee issues. Forefoot first or midfoot is natural for running but not a natural walking technique because it is much less efficient.
Hey sir any shoes you recommend to help me transition to forefoot walking
I don’t recommend forefoot walking as an optimal way to walk, so I don’t have any shoe suggestions for how to do it. If you are trying to do it for exercise, you can do it in any shoe. If you are planning to make forefoot walking your default, I would just wonder why.
Not bad, centre of gravity still too far back though + still too much hip flexion
Sorry, but are you suggesting we should be lunging forward with giant strides? The information I am giving is absolutely correct. Please share what you are getting at.
I have always walked pad and outer side first, native style. Little heel contact. Heels are for balance only. Even sprinting is easier pad first
Even natives walk heel first if you look at videos of indigenous cultures that are still habitually barefoot. The calcaneus didn’t develop as the biggest bone in the foot for the purpose of balance. Sprinting is of course natural to do ball first. The mechanics make that the most efficient way to sprint. Ball first is not the most efficient way to walk.
I naturally walked on the balls of my feet, which resulted in very muscular legs and glutes.
I had to learn to walk on my heels, which is what I do for casual walking.
When I’m walking for exercise, I use the balls of my feet. That is a more intentional method of walking for me.
People really should connect with their bodies when exercising. Unfortunately most people lack body awareness, which can result in injury. Especially as we get older.
True. Most people give very little thought to the way they move if they are not involved in a specific activity like sport, dance, martial art etc.
Nice video. Greetings from Croatia.
I'm persistent evening walker and old skateboarder who has heel strike stride and bit of duck style walking so people find that funny but caused me no problems so far, maybe because i'm underweight for my height but with 41 yrs of age still feel double younger.
If you aren’t having any problems then O wouldn’t force a big change, but it doesn’t hurt to learn how to move more consciously.
Yes Sir, Thank You
Hey any solution ? Walking problem
What is the problem you want the solution to?
@@ToddMartinMD i am not perfect walk
I just got plantar fasciitis so I began toe heel walking
I hope that works out.
Another thing that bothers me with SOME running/walking/PT vloggers is that why do some claim that all of a sudden, at this point in our history, modern shoes are to blame for various foot and/or gait problems. Raised heel is bad, cushion is bad; zero-drop, thin sole, flexible AF is the only way. As if footwear change will magically correct improper leg, core and upper body movement. Don't get me wrong I love minimalist shoes but I don't see how such big claim (evil foot coffins ooohhh) can be preached without at least backing it up with sizeable evidence to match said big claim. If there are no studies to support that minimalist shoes are the only way to avoid injuries and move naturally, that's fine! Just state that it is their personal belief/opinion and should not in any way replace sound medical advice. That's the "fine print" that is often missed out.
Well said. Part of it must be that they are peddling the minimalist shoes, which seem to be getting as extravagant as the other shoes. I just stick with my Vans when I am not at work. It's quite a lot of self confidence to tell everyone in the world they are walking wrong with no supporting evidence.
Ok. But super cushioned shoes are a big invitation to heel strike hard, and squized toes don’t help to your walking either. Transitioning to minimalist shoes can make you realize that you are doing it wrong. It’s perfectly possible to walk properly with normal shoes, but if you don’t know how to, changing your shoes (or take them off) will probably get you closer to it (walking properly).
All I know is the more I walk barefoot the less I "heel strike" in my natural gait 🤷♂️
What does that mean exactly? When you are walking forward, does you heel touch first, the midfoot, or your ball.
There no such thing as heel striking a little. You do or you don't.
@@ToddMartinMD Forgive my vague statement. "Less" in this instance refers to occurrence. I more often find myself connecting mid, then front, then heel. Sometimes it is more pronounced than in other circumstances. Likely just my body naturally adapting to the environment? 🤷♂️ Despite being over 6ft tall, I have a rather "short" gait and find that when I stike with my heel first, whether shod or not, it is very shallow. Meaning the angle of my foot as my heel strikes is very acute... Watching several of your instructional videos has revealed that I have decently good "gait patterns", but likely could benefit from some scrutinization. I will be sure to continue to watch them and critic myself.
Thank you 🤗
@@davidhartley6232 smart man it’s how we are intended, all healthy young very active kids if you watch them play all walk forefoot forward .. modern day living with high heel shoes and lazy living creates a lazy heel strike isolation of muscles
Exactly. Heel first makes you strike.
If your run you will heel strike no matter what.
I don't trust the heel first method. This is only for padded shoes that eventually makes your foot weak af
Thank you. There's a channel Grown and Healthy with otherwise amazing content that teaches this bs in every second video. It's driving me up the walls.
I agree. It's very unfortunate because his other content is really good and he is otherwise a very thoughtful teacher. The video linked on the end screen of this one counters all of the arguments he makes against heel strike point by point. Someone asked him to address these points, but he has yet to do so and keeps doubling down.
It feels awkward to walk with a heel strike for me most if the time
(Unless it's a slow walk)
If its awkward, it means you just aren’t doing it correctly.
Nice theory. Not true. Google "African kids walking barefoot". EVERYONE has heels contacting first. These are all kids who never wear shoes.
I think you are agreeing with me. I think everyone does and should walk heel first. The title of the video is being ironic. There is no problem with heel strike for people who walk normally. This is what I teach in all my videos.
I know all African kids walk heel first, even if never exposed to shoes. I am the person that debates everyone else who tries to say heel strike is bad.
Apologies Todd. I see so much stupidity creeping into these arguments. Same with heel striking runners. Ok for middle distance, but extremely few can do it for more than a few KMs. @@ToddMartinMD