The ramifications of something done as many times a day as walking is tough to clock. But inefficient gait should top the priority list if improvements are to be expected elsewhere in the body. Dysfunction within this pattern worsens with increased intensity; which explains why exercise can lead to injury if we don’t have balanced gait.
Of the two phases of gait, the stance phase is responsible for 60%, and the swing phase 40%. In dysfunction, one leg may spend too much time in stance and not enough in swing, and both phases are affected by imbalances, which shorten stride. Stance phase begins with heel strike and swing phase begins when stance ends.
Gait pattern is tricky to understand because so many subtle changes occur throughout. At Meso Fit Boca, we’ve whiddled down the important parts relevant to training.
Gait Pattern:
1. Initial contact begins the moment the heel touches the ground.
2. Plantar flexion is allowed by eccentric contraction of the tibialis anterior, extension of the knee is caused by a contraction of the quadriceps, flexion is caused by contraction of the hamstrings, and flexion of the hip is caused by the contraction of the rectus femoris.
3. In foot flat, or loading response phase, the body absorbs the impact of the foot by pronating. The hip moves slowly into extension, caused by a contraction of the adductor magnus and gluteus maximus muscles.
4. Midstance is when the hip moves from flexion to extension by contraction of the glute. During this phase, the body is supported by one leg. At this moment the body begins to move from force absorption to force propulsion forward.
5. Heel-off begins when the heel leaves the floor.
6. During toe-off, or pre-swing phase, the hip becomes less extended. Early swing phase extends and then flexes the hip due to contraction of the iliopsoas muscle.
7. In the midswing phase the adductors flex the hip by contraction of the adductors, and the ankle becomes dorsiflexed due to contraction of the tibialis anterior muscle. The knee flexes then extends due to contraction of the sartorius muscle. The quadriceps contract and cause extension.
8. Late swing is the deceleration phase and begins with hip flexion, full extension of the knee, and neutral position of the ankle.
Given this information, shouldn’t any dysfunction in gait be corrected first? This is relevant to training because until restored back to their middle, progressing joints and the muscles that surround them is impossible.
How clients walk in and around their worlds tell stories hinted at during assessment, when we see the effect of moving restricted for any length of time. Of the repetitive movements done daily, dysfunctional gait poses as much risk as picking heavy things up and putting them down. Add the two, and the clock ticks toward potential breakdown.
Our first attempt to correct gait is with Consistency In Step. This is achieved when brain and body synchronize and every step lands exactly as expected. Inconsistency makes the brain hesitant to deliver power because energy is diverted to keeping imbalanced feet from toppling the entire system.
You should be able to hold yourself still in all phases of gait:
Keep in mind that at no time in gait are both legs loaded at the same time or in the same way, and the same applies when training. To truly simulate gait, both legs cannot be loaded. This is contrary to the entire gait pattern that relies on a system that can tense and relax when needed to create ambulation.
Depending on which phase of gait you suspect needs attention, mimicking them in certain stances while performing an upper body push, pull, or push/pull exercise will strengthen weak spots. Only then can we apply local thinking to global problems. Until the dysfunctional part or parts of gait are revealed, there’s no way to know which interventions are correct.
Jackie Week 1
Jackie Week 2
The core is vital in all movements, but walking shares particular importance. We need the core to be its strongest in standing, but first we have to build stronger cores on the ground with intent on taking that strength into standing. Seated populations lack the full extension required to make exercises like planks effective. Time will tell whether bad planking is better than no planking, but any exercise that incorrectly loads the spine is dangerous to our long-term movement health.
But there are exercises that can work the vital muscles involved in gait and illicit deep core responses. Deadbug is the exercise we use at Meso Fit Boca to prep our clients for more complicated movements. It’s single-leg, creates arm swing, and requires unwavering stability in non-moving parts.
Deadbug Pattern- This beginning stance is meant to be held passively, with little to no strain or movement in the spine. Clients that have trouble in stance need to regress the exercise. The spine and non-moving arm and leg need to remain still throughout.
The other way to really feel side differences in gait is to do a Single Arm Farmer’s Walk to see how gait changes when the different sides are loaded. Whichever side changes gait the least would be representative of how you carry life. In other words, whichever kettle feels easiest to carry, never mind what changes occur, would be indicative of a side that carries groceries while the other side manipulates keys, cellphones, or multiple kids. If we look for things that clients do absentmindedly every day, we can thwart the effect repetitive movement has months, sometimes decades, later.
Walking is one of our least intense activities, or so it should be, and any fault in gait can have devastating effects. It’s easy to stop running if your knee hurts, but if you can’t walk life screams to a halt. To achieve something different takes applying tactics the brain can use to navigate us through life. Consistency In Step allows increased throttle and gives us more brake!
