Walking, and especially running correctly, doesn’t come naturally for most people. In fact, a lot of the aches and pains we have are exacerbated by the bad movement habits we learn as children and continue to have throughout our lives.
And it’s not just about the legs either, the entire body from head to toes needs to be considered. There needs to be flexibility and strength in the right places. Also, pelvic position and control, how we breathe, and our body’s vertical axis in relation to the earth’s gravity are important and often over-looked points.
Regardless of age, or level of experience, a walking and running evaluation can be incorporated into your session(s) to get you moving as efficiently as possible. Here are some, but not all of the things I will check during a comprehensive inquiry.
And I’m not necessarily referring to your calves and hamstrings. How our tissues move as a unit and transmit force to the ground depends greatly on overall flexibility and strength, especially in the center area of the body. Being too tight in certain areas that you may not even be aware of, can waste energy as the body fights itself to perform desired movements resulting in stressed tissues and reduced performance.
The pelvis is like a car’s transmission connecting the engine to the wheels. It connects the movements of the upper and lower body and without a solid pelvic foundation, energy is wasted and problems can arise just like with a faulty transmission in a car.
Posture- Your body’s angulation to the earth and its gravity can cause unnecessary stress to your tissues resulting in common issues like plantar fasciitis and tight calves and hamstrings.
Breathing- How we breathe and which area of our bodies we breathe from, can impact oxygen intake and cardiovascular function, not to mention cause problems like numbness in the hands or arms for runners.
With even small corrections, significant positive changes in how you feel and perform can be the result whether your recovering from an injury/surgery, are elderly and need stability or suffer back and leg pain, or you just want to shave some time off of your running performance.
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