Walk Lightly - Shock Absorption for Happier Joints
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Jolie Bookspan, M.Ed, PhD, FAWM
"Your tread must be light and sure
as though your path were upon rice paper
"This rice paper is the test
Fragile as the wings of the dragonfly
"Clinging as the cocoon of the silkworm
When you can walk its length and leave no trace
You will have learned"
- Master Khan to Grasshopper in the 70's TV series Kung Fu
Walk, run, jump, and move lightly.
Movement is good for you. Muscles pulling on bones increases bone density. Vibration transmitted through the body from motion of running, dancing, jumping, and having fun is healthy, refreshing, and stimulates cell growth. A certain amount of impact from movement is necessary for health.
Banging down too hard with each step is not good for your body. It increases risk of joint pain and plantar fasciitis. I tell my students to stop jarring their joints without shock absorption when they walk and move and jump. One day, a student asked me "How?" Here are some things to try:
1. I asked the student to stomp his foot.
Then I asked him to place his foot down lightly. That is how.
2. Use an analog bathroom scale. Step on heavily and see the numbers go up high. Then step on again lightly and see that the last number reached is a lower number. In sports medicine, we use force plates to measure ground forces when an athlete jumps or runs by.
3. While moving, make less noise. It doesn't mean to tip-toe. Walk and run with regular heel to toe gait, but lightly.
4. Try walking with a full-to-the-brim cup of hot coffee or any liquid. Don't tip-toe, just walk softly without spilling any.
5. Practice jumping in the air and landing softly. Bend your knees when landing. Increase the height of the jump, maintain soft landing. Work up to jumping down from increasing heights without making a sound, or much sound.
More Fitness Fixer:
- Does Running Ruin Your Joints?
- Why So Many Aerobics Injuries?
- Are You Making Your Exercise Unhealthy?
- A Reader Asks About Osteoporosis and Walking Lightly
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Limited Class space for personal feedback. Top students may earn certification through DrBookspan.com/Academy. More fun in Dr. Bookspan's Books.
Read success stories and send your own.
See if your answers are already here - click Fitness Fixer labels, links, archives, and Index.
For personal medical questions - Replies to Medical Questions.
Limited Class space for personal feedback. Top students may earn certification through DrBookspan.com/Academy. More fun in Dr. Bookspan's Books.
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Photo © copyright Dr. Bookspan taken at a Malaysian backpackers hostel
Labels: arthritis, feet, impact, knee, leg strength, martial arts, plantar fasciitis, running, walking
6 Comments:
At Monday, January 21, 2008 12:45:00 PM,
Anonymous said…
This is a good reminder and it's funny because I've use the "Kung Fu" tv show as a reminder for my own walking for years. Some things that I have to remember include:
1. Don't lean forward and overstride, which results in "walking by falling forward" and puts a lot of stress on the lower back and pounding the foot. Sometimes overcushioned shoes can let us stomp without really feeling it until we walk the same way barefoot.
2. Shorter strides and a more upright carriage while looking at the horizon, can help reduce pounding.
3. Sometimes while trying too hard to walk softly we can overpronate, which can lead to other problems.
At Tuesday, January 22, 2008 11:00:00 AM,
Anonymous said…
Hello Dr. Bookspan,
I only recently found your website and am delighted. I am 35 yrs old with sedentary life style and have a few long standing issues for which I suspect you may have remedies. I have listed below the issues
1) 7 yrs ago one day I felt a sharp contraction in my left leg which made my foot and leg weak and after some time I felt the same in my right leg & feet. Now my shin bones (tibia I think it is called) both hurt, particularly when I gently massage them with my hands. Doctors have ruled out any structural damage in those areas but I am still left with sore legs and tight feet.
2) My upper back aches possibly due to forward rounding sitting posture (which I am trying to overcome by doing stretching exercises), but even though I am not slouching now I still have my pain and am not able to sit straight without leaning back(my shoulder neck region hurt) after some time. I am able to do your pectoral stretch and the trapez stretch (although when I do trapez my leg on the side which is being stretched automatically lifts).
Dr.Bookspan I am really sorry to have written such long mail but this is just to explain my problem which has been nagging me for long costing me a lot of money and more importantly quality of life. Can you please advise me on what I can should do. Many thanks.
Sincerely
Kumar
At Thursday, January 24, 2008 8:55:00 AM,
Jolie Bookspan, M.Ed, PhD, FAWM said…
Hello Kumar, nice to meet you through this site. Look through posts and click the labels that apply. Find the many labels under posts. There are many on fixing upper body pain, sitting, leg stretches, and things so that you can understand causes of pain and fix the cause. For example, here is the label for upper back. Instead of straining to sit stiffly straight, use my techniques to stop the causes of upper back pain.
At Tuesday, February 05, 2008 4:21:00 PM,
Anonymous said…
Is there a connection between walking lightly and oesteopenia? I have always been very light on my feet, and now in my 50s I have found out I have low bone density. I have a cousin who shakes the house when she walks who has been told that she doesn't ever have to worry about her bone mass.
I went to a bones for life class and was taught to do heel bouncing to stimulate bone growth. i.e. dropping repeatedly from toes onto heels while standing in proper alignment. Do you agree with that exercise?
Thanks for your site - I've learned a lot about alignment which has helped in many ways.
Carol
At Tuesday, March 04, 2008 4:44:00 PM,
Jolie Bookspan, M.Ed, PhD, FAWM said…
Carol, good questions. Here is a post - A Reader Asks About Osteoporosis and Walking Lightly.
At Tuesday, June 03, 2008 11:23:00 AM,
Jolie Bookspan, M.Ed, PhD, FAWM said…
Mike, good idea on #1. For 2 & 3, someone shouldn't have to shorten their strides to walk softly. Work for customary stride length without pounding. Too short, "chopped" gait can indicate tight front hip or just a funny habit. Reducing stride length can reduce the front hip stretch that you ordinarily get with each step. Walking softly should not make anyone overpronate. Keep everything easy, normal, not stylized, and without strange rules or overcompensating one thing to fix another.
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