The way we walk has a much bigger impact on our overall health than many of us realise. Believe it or not, there is a specific walking technique that helps to maintain healthy joints, muscles and ligaments, and getting it wrong can cause long-term damage.
Known as the walking gait cycle, the technique refers to our natural ability to propel ourselves forward. “Simply put, the gait cycle is a repetitive movement that requires a consistent heel strike on both feet with an adequate push off through your foot on propulsion,” explains Galen Carroll, senior physiotherapist at Mediclinic Dubai Mall.
This heel strike, Carroll says, is critical for a healthy walk as it exposes each leg to the force equivalent of around 140 per cent of our body weight when we walk, and up to 300 per cent when we run.
If a person’s heel is not striking the ground with the knee and hips aligned correctly, it can work or even strain the wrong muscles, creating a risk for short- and long-term damage. And with the average person taking more than 3,000 steps a day – which is still 7,000 less than the recommended amount – it’s important we get it right.
“The technique we use when we walk can stress the joints, ligaments, tendons and muscles of the body in different ways,” Carroll says. “People with a poor walking pattern can predispose themselves to muscle weakness in the ankle, knee or hip. This muscle weakness can then impact on their ability to run, jump or climb stairs.”
The key to mastering an anatomically proper walk, he says, is concentrating on the hips, knee and ankle.
“I like to use the analogy of a train track when describing a neutral walking pattern. If you were to look down towards your legs during walking, your hips, knee and ankles should be parallel throughout the movement.
“You should have a relatively stable pelvis with minimal rotation and sway while using your arms to aid with balance and propulsion.”
Carroll provides “gait re-education” as part of his physiotherapy treatments and urges patients to remember “heel strike, roll through, and push off through your toes, or rock from your heel to your toes”.
Natural biomechanics, acute injuries and poor footwear can all influence a person’s walking style.
In the initial stages after an injury a person might compensate by using different muscles to avoid pain, which will not help them in the long term and needs to be rectified early, Carroll says.
Our choice of footwear also plays a huge role. Shoes with minimal support in the heels, such as flat pumps, reduce the wearer’s ability to complete a proper heel strike as well as not providing any shock absorbency.
“In prehistoric times there was no such thing as footwear. Our ancestors walked in their bare feet and hunted and gathered both walking and running with absolutely no support for their feet. Heels affect the heel strike and the roll forward.
“Unfortunately this is no longer possible as the surfaces we traverse are becoming harder and less forgiving in the concrete jungles we now live,” he says.
Company%20Profile
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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BORDERLANDS
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis
Director: Eli Roth
Rating: 0/5
The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
SPECS
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Results
5.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Dirt) 1,600m, Winner: Panadol, Mickael Barzalona (jockey), Salem bin Ghadayer (trainer)
6.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Turf) 1,400m, Winner: Mayehaab, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass
6.40pm: Handicap (TB) Dh85,000 (D) 1,600m, Winner: Monoski, Mickael Barzalona, Salem bin Ghadayer
7.15pm: Handicap (TB) Dh102,500 (T) 1,800m, Winner: Eastern World, Royston Ffrench, Charlie Appleby
7.50pm: Handicap (TB) Dh92,500 (D) 1,200m, Winner: Madkal, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass
8.25pm: Handicap (TB) Dh92,500 (T) 1,200m, Winner: Taneen, Dane O’Neill, Musabah Al Muhairi
DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin
Director: Shawn Levy
Rating: 3/5
UAE%20medallists%20at%20Asian%20Games%202023
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How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
ELECTION%20RESULTS
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Dengue%20fever%20symptoms
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Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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ABU%20DHABI'S%20KEY%20TOURISM%20GOALS%3A%20BY%20THE%20NUMBERS
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Global institutions: BlackRock and KKR
US-based BlackRock is the world's largest asset manager, with $5.98 trillion of assets under management as of the end of last year. The New York firm run by Larry Fink provides investment management services to institutional clients and retail investors including governments, sovereign wealth funds, corporations, banks and charitable foundations around the world, through a variety of investment vehicles.
KKR & Co, or Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, is a global private equity and investment firm with around $195 billion of assets as of the end of last year. The New York-based firm, founded by Henry Kravis and George Roberts, invests in multiple alternative asset classes through direct or fund-to-fund investments with a particular focus on infrastructure, technology, healthcare, real estate and energy.
Company%20Profile
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