How Loud Do You Walk?

Can you hear your heels hit the ground while walking?

While “walking hard” is no guarantee to cause damage in your body, it definitely places more stress on the feet, knees, hips, and low back. If you can remember back to your high school physics class, you may recall Newton’s 3rd law motion.

“For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction”

In non-science terms, any force will be met with an equal and opposite force to counteract it. This is applicable to your body while walking. The harder your heel and foot hit the ground, the more force is transmitted up the leg through your body’s structures. This increased force may cause irritation to cranky joints, arthritis, weak muscles, and other structures. This is definitely not the cause of all lower body injuries, but if you currently have some nagging pain, this may be a part of the equation.

The good news is that you have muscles designed to be the world's best shock absorbers. That’s right, those muscles you have do more than just push things around. They ABSORB force as well. This is super important for walking, going down stairs, sitting down in a chair, running, and changing direction. A common misconception is that large foam shoes will be able to absorb all the shock of your body but in truth, they only allow you to walk or run harder now that it doesn’t directly hurt your heels. Your force is still hitting the ground quickly and transferring up the chain.

For walking, your hip muscles, specifically your gluteus medius (the muscle on the side of your hips), is responsible for how quickly your heel hits the ground. When going down stairs and sitting down, your quadriceps (the muscle on the front of your thighs) strength is imperative. These muscles do not work in isolation, but are often a source of issues when weak with these movements. It is most definitely important and most effective to work on the strength of these muscles and your entire body as a whole, but it is a great habit to start working on what you can control today!

For a start, try walking in your house more quietly. If this is not easy immediately, try placing your hands on your hips and feeling if your hips wiggle a large amount when you walk. Use the feedback in your hands to try and reduce how much your hips move. They will always move some, but more than a half inch or so is too much. A more challenging drill is to control how slowly you go down stairs. Don’t be afraid to use hand support! Just make sure to go down well controlled and avoid plopping onto the next step.

Make sure to give these tips a try! As always, if you are in pain of any sorts, consult a physician or physical therapist for a diagnosis and tips on the best management strategies for YOU.

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The views expressed in this post are the author's own, and the information presented has not been verified by Patch.