As a deep tissue massage therapist, fitness coach, and barefoot running coach, I have treated a number of very common running injuries, such as plantar fasciitis, shin splints, and IT band pain. Over the years, I have noticed that the majority of clients suffering from these injuries were not runners. They were walkers.
This brought up a question: if the combination of running in shoes with a heel strike leads to dysfunctional gait patterns — and ultimately chronic pain and injury — what does it do when walking, such as speed walking or walking with a purpose?
During this time, I began exploring barefoot/minimalist running. As an experienced fitness coach, I knew that if I wanted to transition to minimalist running, I should not attempt to do so overnight. If I attempted to do too much too fast, before my body was conditioned for the task, I would be setting myself up for injury. Seems like a simple concept to grasp, but I, like so many other people, had a tendency to learn the hard way — but that is a topic for another blog.
The combination of my personal experimentation in running and what I was feeling during my deep tissue massage sessions brought about a realization: The musculature of the arches and calves has been weakened from years of wearing shoes. For just about anybody, the idea of running on weak unstable feet would spell disaster. In order to build up strength in the arches and calves, you literally have to relearn to walk before you can relearn to run. This changed my focus from being primarily on running gait mechanics to both running and walking gait mechanics and brought me to develop a theory.
I believe that our bodies are designed to have nearly identical walking and running gait patterns. If you were to engineer a mechanical structure to move at varying speeds, would you design it to perform two completely different movement patterns? Wouldn’t it be simpler and more beneficial to design the structure to perform a single movement pattern that can be maintained through variations in speed? Transitioning from running with a forefoot strike to walking with a heel strike is a major shift in movement patterns, balance and stabilization, and impact loads through the skeletal system.
My theory is that the proper form for both walking and running indicates four things: a forward lean of the body, a forefoot or mid-foot strike which lands directly beneath the body’s center of gravity, short stride length, and fast cadence. There are areas of obvious difference between the two activities, such as length of stride, the actual speed of cadence (number of foot strikes per minute — around 180 steps per minute for running), and how intense the impact forces are at footfall and lift off.
This is a theory that goes against much of today’s popular wisdom. Most of the articles on barefoot or minimalist running suggest that our natural barefoot running gait should be a forefoot or mid-foot strike, but that our walking gait should be a heel strike. This does not make much sense to me. Current research is showing the positive benefits of barefoot running with forefoot or mid-foot strike. It seems to me that walking with a forefoot or mid-foot strike would result in the same benefits since it is utilizing the exact same architecture.
When I perform deep tissue massage on both runners and walkers with painful injuries, I can feel how impact forces move throughout the fascial tissue of their body causing dysfunction. I feel adhesions and a buildup of tissue from repetitive trauma around the heel, achilles tendon, and calf; around the inside and outside of the knee from excessive inward and outward rotation of the knee; at the head of the femur (thigh bone)and the front and back of the pelvis; and around the shoulders, neck and head. This tissue tends to be intensely painful to the touch and has a direct relationship to the pain or injury for which the client sought treatment — and to their walking and/or running mechanics.
Walking and running with heel strike has an impact force that is greater than body weight and creates the same rotational forces at the foot, knee, and hip, all of which I discussed in last week’s blog.
If both walkers and runners are suffering from the same injuries, then wouldn’t the same remedy for one work for the other?
The arches of the foot are designed to absorb impact. They do this equally well for walking as they do for running — when they are fully engaged. The heel of the foot does not absorb impact any better for walking than it does for running. Over miles of repetition, the heel strike of a walker will develop the same fascial tissue dysfunctions as that of a runner. This is why so many of the “running injuries” I treat are with non-runners.
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I’ve said the same thing. Guess “The 100th Monkey Effect” has kicked in on this observation!
Hi Erkien,
Happy to be the 100th monkey.
Jesse James Retherford
http://www.tao-fit.com
Wow Jessie, so your Theory is just that, a theory. You leave out the fact that running and walking are entirely different biomecanical activities. There is a reason we have a heel, that it does contact first in walking, especially. Otherwise we would be on all fours and run like a dog. When people change their gait pattern without guidance, people get hurt. Well, the point is that there needs to be more actual studies on this matter, not just theories of an excited blogger.
Michelle Wald PT
Hi Michelle,
Thanks again for commenting.
Yes it is a theory, but it is a theory that has a significant amount of scientific support, which is growing each week. Walking and running with a heel strike is also just a theory. There is not a single study or group of studies that proves factual validity to either theory. Which is why it is important to have these discussions. I expressed in this blog, that this is my theory, to attempt to make the point that there are different opinions on the subject. It is up to each individual to make up their own mind, and figure out what works best for them.
I do not leave out that running and walking are entirely different biomechanical activities. In fact, I clearly state the exact opposite. Walking and running are nearly identical biomechanically. The heel has a purpose in walking and running with forefoot strike. It is supposed to strike the ground, just not first. Making the jump that without heel strike we would be on all fours and running like a dogs is an extreme jump and I don’t know where you intended to go with that statement.
Yes, when people change their gait pattern without guidance, they get hurt. When people continue to walk with an improper gait pattern, they get hurt. It is my hope and goal to provide some guidance so that people can make the transition with minimal pain and injury. There is an epidemic of chronic pain and injury in this country due to poor postural mechanics and lifestyle. There is something inherently wrong with the way we currently move. Maintaining the current status quo of medical treatments, such as injections, surgeries, and prescription remedies, does not work other than acting as a very expensive band aid. If we, as individuals, wish to feel better, we must look at our most basic movement patterns and be willing to make fundamental shifts in them, even if these shifts go against age old popular culture. We will not feel better until we learn to move better.
I am a very excited blogger, and I am so much more. I love what I do for a living. Over the years, I have had the opportunity to learn, touch, teach, and help improve the lives of my clients, and have seen my life improve as well. I am passionate about what I do.
Thanks again for the comment. I very much appreciate the input you have been providing over the weeks. You are both complimentary and challenging, both of which help me grow in this new endeavor of blogging. Thanks.
Jesse James Retherford
http//www.tao-fit.com
Michelle,
Try this as an experiment: take off your shoes and socks and go for a walk on a rocky/rooty trail. I guarantee you that you won’t heel strike.
Our bodies use the most efficient means of locomotion when the terrain is safe, which on predictable flat surfaces is with a gentle heel landing. However when the terrain becomes unstable and/or uncomfortable and our body needs to be on alert, it moves to a forefoot landing. It does it automatically.
We don’t have a single consistent gait pattern, our bodies change it up depending on the situation. The most important factor in getting this right is taking off our shoes.
Damien,
That is a great point.
Jesse James Retherford
http://www.tao-fit.com
From a biological point of view; we humans are the only mammals that strike at the hill when we move at a run all other mammals run of the for foot pad and toes. I have not done an extensive study this from my own personal observation.
When you jump up in the air do you land on your heal or your toes and for foot pad? The hill is not a shock absorbing structure. You strike at the hill the full force of the blow is transferred straight up through the bones to the knee.
From a purely structural point of view the hill came in it’s current form as a stable platform that allows us to stand errect.
My 2 cents,
Josh
Ran into a Monte Becker @ the bank. He thought I should come look at the sight.
Hi Josh,
Thanks for the comment and great insight about how we jump and land. It is a very good way of looking at what happens with each step, which in essence is a leap and landing.
Jesse James Retherford
http://www.tao-fit.com
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Hi Jesse,
Just found your blog from LinkedIn – great to see another passionate person sharing what they love!
I’ve been gathering info on gait lately as well and, from one passionate learner to another, thought you would find this interesting.
One of the reasons why people are having injuries from walking is because they’re walking incorrectly. Not because they’re heal striking but because they’re falling vs. gliding. When we “fall” during walking, we put more weight onto the heel, so I can certainly see the rationale to your theory about the similarities in movement between walking & running. However, that’s not how we’re designed to walk. Walking should ideally be a smooth transition of weight from one foot to the other vs. a slow motion run.
I’ve learned a ton from the Aligned & Well website – Katy Bowman is a biomechanical scientist and I’m guessing you’d really enjoy her information. Here are some of her recent articles about running, walking & gait:
http://www.alignedandwell.com/?p=3495&option=com_wordpress&Itemid=223
http://www.alignedandwell.com/?p=3553&option=com_wordpress&Itemid=223
http://www.alignedandwell.com/?p=3495&option=com_wordpress&Itemid=223
Enjoy!
Lisa
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Looks like I tried to make a quick transition, and caused Plantar Fasciitis…I wish I read your blog earlier. Initially I only had heel pain so started walking on forefoot and now I’m with Plantar Fasciitis (my knee pain and shin pain vanished with forefoot running!). Is it best to go forefoot for both running and walking? or different gait for each? Do you by any chance know anyone who can look at my gait and suggest changes?
Till 30 years I used to walk barefoot on tiles without any issues in India. Tiles were soft and grout is so thin that it is almost not there. Then 7 years on carpet in apartments. Then I moved into house with ceramic tiles (with undulations/wavey and 5mm grout)…within 2 months of moving into the house I started having heel pain so I started wearing flipflops. I went to India for 6 weeks, and again I was able to walk on tiles without any pain. So, my theory, at least in my case, is that the surface of tiles and grout are one of the causes. Thanks for listening
.
Uday
Hi Uday,
Thanks for the comment. I believe I remember chatting with you after the Barefoot Running Clinic at REI a few months back. Plantar fasciitis is one of the more common injury complaint that I see. I have seen significant results with the combination of deep tissue massage, foam roller therapy, and corrective exercise. I encourage you to see me for a few deep tissue therapy sessions, a foam roller session, and possibly corrective exercise training.
As far as working on your gait, I recommend getting some sessions with Valerie Hunt (who also presented at the clinic). This is something I would recommend after you are pain free from the Plantar Fasciitis. The general rule is if it hurts to run, you shouldn’t be running. You have to treat the injury, then treat the movement patterns to prevent recurring injury.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Jesse James Retherford
http://www.tao-fit.com