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Take a Walking Test ENJOY AN EFFICIENT STRIDE
| The Problem | Identification |
Benefits of Correction | Body/Mind
Changes |
| Unbalanced Gait The right and left sides of your body are not balanced | Uneven sound to footsteps Stronger push off on one leg Feet not tracking parallel Uneven pressure on your feet One arm swinging more easily forward or back More arm swing on one side One arm crossing midline of body Joint pain during or after walking on one side (e.g. heel, knee, iliotibial band, or hip pain) Socks or shorts twisting on body | Reduced or eliminated pain Using more muscles Improved breathing Increased speed and power
| Greater ability to focus Experiencing "hitting the mark" |
A cross body arm swing can torque your spine. Balance your arm and leg stroke to prevent joint pain.
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Jenny's nagging backache and shoulder stiffness were even worse after vigorous walking. A deep massage helped, but relief only lasted for a few days.
Under stress, Jenny developed headaches, jaw tension and hearing loss - all on her right side. When her right hip and knee began to hurt, she came to see us for a biomechanical evaluation.
During Jenny's Dynamic Posture Analysis, we noticed that the zipper on her jeans was pulling to the left. Her right arm hung in front of her right hip, her left arm hung slightly behind her left hip. This meant that her body was twisted to her left. Jenny's head, however, was facing forward in the photograph - counter rotating. This created a strain on the right side of her neck, which may have contributed to her complaints in that area.
As we analyze her stride , we observed she had a dominant right leg push off. In addition, Jenny's right arm swung more easily forward and across her body. Her left arm swung more easily backward. Jenny was amazed to discover she had been unconsciously walking and standing this way and fascinated to understand how her habitual movement patterns were contributing to her pain.
With Dynamic Walking training, Jenny began balancing the power and swing of her arms and legs. We showed her how to roll down the center of both feet and push off evenly. At work, she moved her computer from the right side of her desk to the center so she no longer continued twisting her body and neck in different directions.
After two weeks, Jenny noticed her right hip and knee no longer hurt. Swinging her arms evenly released a strain on those joints. After one month, her headaches, jaw and hearing problems were gone. As her posture continued improving, the low back pain and shoulder stiffness only reurned when she forgot to stretch dynamically. In six months, her arms hung evenly at her sides.
Jenny loved being able to make these changes herself. " I feel more in control of my life. I've become a much more focused person. I pay more attention to detail," she reported. "I hadn't realized how much the small things really matter. I'm more direct, not only in the way I stand and walk, but in how I approach things."
If your gait is unbalanced, order our audio and video training tapes to improve your posture and biomechanics. With your order we will also send you the exercises to help correct your Unbalanced Gait. You may also want to consider Video Coaching by mail. Why not prevent problems and correct others, step by step, as you walk dynamically.
Copyright © 1999-2003
Dynamic
Health &
Fitness Institute
PO Box 355
Corte Madera, CA 94976
(415) 924-4013
FAX (415) 924-5342
1-888-852-6717
email