St. Jerome once wrote, “to solve a problem, walk around.” While he was commenting on mental and spiritual clarity, he could have been a modern physical therapist. Walking, or ‘the gait cycle’ if you’re a Physical Therapist, is a flurry of inter connectivity for your body and your brain. One study of the gait cycle found that a difference in stride affected when a patient’s eyes opened and closed as he walked. Examining how a person walks can help therapists discover neck and shoulder injuries. And walking itself, long regarded as one of mankind’s greatest evolutionary achievements, is being celebrated in the 21st century as one of the simplest, most effective methods for maintaining personal wellness.
In technical terms, the gait cycle is the repetitive pattern of walking or running. It is split into two major phases, stance and swing. The stance phase is the action of the limb that is in contact with the ground and providing support. The swing phase involves the muscular activity that positions your knee and shin before the foot strikes the ground again. Walking, which feels as simple and natural as breathing, is actually one of the most complex human functions and most challenging to diagnose and treat.
Having a therapist who understands the gait cycle is important, as there is a tendency for some therapists to ‘chase symptoms. For example, if a patient present with knee pain, an inexperienced PT might treat only their knee, but an expert PT will know to analyze the patient’s gait before jumping to any conclusions regarding the cause of symptoms. As humans walk we cross-pattern, meaning the left arm and right leg go forward at the same time, and vice versa, as we step. Muscles in the back of your leg work with muscles in your lower back that extend into your shoulder. Improper shoulder movement can cause strain on the opposite knee. When this patient complains of knee pain, the inexperienced therapist will chase the symptom and focus on the knee while the expert will recognize and address the actual shoulder problem.
Because of this complexity, walking is often regarded as something miraculous. It is, in large part, what made humans “human” in the first place. The ability to walk upright allowed our earliest ancestors to keep their hands free, and this sudden freedom allowed them to discover uses for their hands such as building tools, making fire and, eventually, talking on a cell phone.
Even though people have been walking for as long as there have been people, walking is still showing us new things about our bodies. One study found that people with type 2 diabetes who walked regularly reduced their risk for heart disease by 40%, regardless of weight, gender, etc. Walking has been found to reduce cholesterol, lower blood pressure, and improve mood. It looks like St. Jerome almost had it right, he should’ve said “to find a problem, walk around. To solve a problem, walk around some more.”
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http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/walking/HQ01612
http://chiroweb.com/mpacms/dc/article.php?t=12&id=52281
http://www.sportsinjuryclinic.net/cybertherapist/general/gait_analysis.php
http://walking.about.com/od/hearthealth/Heart_Health_Benefits_of_Walking.htm
http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/that-pain-in-your-left-knee-might-be-caused-by-your-right-shoulder
