I love that there is so much going on in the background. I'm going to have to watch again because I'm up to Plane, Rat, Skittish Hikers, and I know there are at least 12 more items in the scavenger hunt.
This is wonderfully clear. I finally feel the psoas pulling by doing your walking in circles. I just couldn’t get it before. I still am a bit confused by the phrase “pull the knee forward “. I kept thinking that I had to lift my knee pulling my foot off the ground. After doing the walking circles I think I understand better. Thank you so much
I am glad the circle walking helped. The idea of pulling the knee forward, or really pulling the upper leg forward. Since the leg is attached to the ground, the result is trying to pull the knee forward will pull your spine forward. I use the analogy to differentiate the idea of pushing the knee back, which is what the glutes do. You need to do the opposite.
Thanks David. Everything is going great. Hopefully more people will find my stuff. i am hoping this fact check series will get some eyes. I am trying to make each one relatively short and not too complicated.
Thank you so much for your detailed explanation and demonstration. This helps me tremendously with correcting things I have always been told about walking. Your videos have improved my gait and makes walking less difficult. You are a blessing!
Hey Todd, in walking isnt the only thing the glute max does is slow you down/catch you from initial contact into loading phase. I've tried the glute max push off during walking and it is terrible for your feet and calf muscles. I'm glad you expose this improper use of the glutes
I try not to focus on what muscles may be doing passively because that could confuse people. You certainly do not want to try and activate your glutes to slow you down because that would literally put on the breaks and potentially hyperextend the knee.
@@ToddMartinMD 100% agree, I myself experienced the issue of trying to activate certain muscles and it destabilises your gait. Thanks for you reply Dr Martin
Hi Dr Martin, have you coach chong xie 's youtube channel? He says that during exercises, or sports, such as as basketball, the feet should be connected with glutes. This increases power and stability. How true is that? He learned his method of partly through tai chi and he talks about activating the fascia in the feet through various exercises which he says is a key to athleticism. Do you also take fascia into account when discussing walking? Really happy I came across your channel.
I haven't seen his TH-cam channel, but the whole body is connected. The hands, arms, torso, legs, and feet are all neurologically connected and move as a whole when we move properly. The feet are not just connected to the glutes. They are connected to the entire core, including the waist and the hip flexors. What they say in Tai Chi is that all movement is guided by the waist and powered by the hips (which includes both the glutes and the hip flexors). The arms and legs (including the feet) are controlled by the core movement. I believe this is done through the nervous system, which is how information is instantly communicated across the body. I do not believe fascia is the source of the communication, other than if there are nerves going through the fascia.
I watched on of his videos on Tai Chi and there are so many things off with what he is doing, I don't think he really knows Tai Chi. For one, he is standing completely duck footed when he does his step out, which is just fundamentally incorrect. And some of the stances he displays are not correct Tai Chi stances at all. And he talks a lot about tension. There isn't supposed to be any tension in Tai Chi, and center of all movement is in the waist, not the feet. The feet are relaxed and respond naturally to the movement of the waist and hips. I am more than a bit suspicious.
@@laurie6123 That is pretty steep. Any grade will work the glutes, but I would say around 30 degrees would be very good if you plan on walking a significant time period. 45 is going to be a lot of cardio. I walk outdoors, so the grade is constantly shifting, which is good. If you are on a treadmill, I would vary it.
Good information. Being a bit unsteady on my feet the slight engagement of the glutes makes me more stable however. Clearly have to have hip flexor engagement on walking forward.
You’re awesome doctor. Binging your videos and practicing until my walking is perfect. Wondering if you have a video that hones in on glute function when walking I.e glute med function, glute stability, and overcoming compensation. Thanks
Glad you are enjoying the videos. Here is a short one specifically about the glutes, but there are multiple othered where I discuss it. The Most Powerful Muscles in Walking: Glutes vs Psoas-How to Walk Properly th-cam.com/video/d1lsmfVgvwU/w-d-xo.html
Hello eric, i have just stumbled onto you. I have been in chronic pain for a few years in my back. I am not able to play sport, go to the gym. I am wanting more so than anything to be able to move without pain and i believe you will be able to help me. Thankyou.😊
I'll wager you run into a lot of people who believe walking technique really isn't important - just a matter of moving any old way from point A to point B, something I've done for almost 80 years and I only wish I knew then what I know now, as I have the 4 curses of bad posture - fallen arches, knock-knees, posterior pelvic tilt and rounded shoulders. If you were me Dr. Martin, which one of these would you try and deal with first - I really appreciate your vast knowledge - thank you.
You are correct, Ed. Most people, including doctors, are not aware that walking technique is important. I don't think you can work on one aspect of it. Each of the problems you mention are affected by the same thing. If you work on your technique, using the method I describe in my videos, each of the issues you mentions should benefit.
Thanks for your great video! I am still a bit uncertain how to exactly walk correctly. I am finding different informations here on TH-cam and others MD's or PT's are suggestion that you have to really activate the glutes when walking. So it's difficult to know what is right to do 🤷♀I have knee arthritis and can only walk (5 km per day) on pain killers. Have you made other videos that go more into detail showing the right way to walk and how to make sure I fire the correct parts of my body? Thanks in advance @ToddMartinMD
Thanks for watching. There are hundreds of videos on the channel going into everything. Then there is The Walking Code Online Course that teaches my full system for understanding how to coordinate everything correctly
There are some youtube physiotherapists who pretend that using the glutes helps with the knee pain (caused by osteoarthritis). Is that a valid statement? If yes, I'd like to use my glutes when walking forward, but I can't make myself being able to walk using the glutes. I would need a step by step explanation on how to engage the glutes naturally when waking. I have a bad knee (left) and I'd like to try walking using the glutes, to see if I feel any releif, but I can't seem to be able to engage them. An xray and an ultrasound showed some osteoarthritis in my knee. Can you advise on this? Thanks.
The subject is a bit complex, but I disagree with the point they make about squeezing the glutes and pushing with the glutes. But what they are trying to say in power the step with the standing leg, not by throwing the swing leg forward, which results in duck feet. If you want to learn how to do it properly, my videos will help guide you.
I fell for this one about a month ago, I was walking like a duck to make it easier to squeeze my glutes and trying to grip the ground with the soles of the feet while walking. Some people with more determination than me must have went really hard at applying those foolish recommendations and did real damage to their knees.
hey Dr. Martin! I truly appreciate this video. Also., I am 19 and wanted to ask what is a good amount of time to walk because I sit down a lot like 2 hours at a time and have been noticing back pain any suggestions, Doc?
Question: I have anterior pelvic tilt and if I do NOT "squeeze" my glutes my pelvis is in a very poor position and has been the cause of a lot of other issues. My two cues for fixing this are, as you can guess, flexing my abs as well as squeezing my glutes. If I'm not supposed to squeeze my glutes while walking, how can I keep my pelvis in a proper position while walking?
The problem is you are not using your lower abs to keep your pelvis tucked and you are compensating with the glutes. This can be corrected with the right sequence of core movements. I talk about the correct way in many videos.
Dear Dr. Very informative video. Thank u very much. I have a problem with walking. Have limp in the left leg . So pause when walking in left leg. Limited move ment hip flexion and adduction. And Internal rotation. What are the muscles involved? What sort of exercise to do? Sir is it due to gluteal maximum and midius? NEED urgent reply. Thank you Pls upload a video if possible
You may want to try the video I just uploaded this morning on How to Stop Plopping and Bouncing. These exercises can help train the proper muscles and movement patterns
While I concede your logic makes sense, I have to ask what your opinion is on whether or not feeling more tension in your gluteus medius is a bad thing if it nearly, if not entirely solved foot pain and lower back issues? Could it be that in the pursuit of learning how to do that, I accidentally 'learned' how to properly use my core in the process, or do you think I am setting myself up for future failure? I heel strike, and it seems that thinking about a slight push with with the gluteus medius helped my alleviate a great deal of issues I was having for months, but I am not sure if I will suffer other issues as a result. Unfortunately, as I watch all of your videos, I seem to not be capable of making these mental links needed to walk in the way you describe (my body 'forgot' how to do a lot of things after an injury a year ago, so re-learning many things has been rough, especially walking).
I have no issue with your feeling of tension in the gluteus medius. In this video, and others, I am specifically referring to the gluteus maximus. This is what people are generally referring to when they are talking about activating the glutes or pushing with the glutes. The gluteus medius is absolutely needed to be fully engaged because that is what keeps the pelvis from tilting over. Any tension people feel in the buttock area is the gluteus medius, not the gluteus maximus. We don't have to think about engaging the gluteus medius. We only need to keep the pelvis level when on one leg and then by definition the gluteus medius is fully engaged. There is some external rotation involved with the gluteus medius, but that is not what is propelling the body forward. I think it is perfectly fine and helpful to feel the gluteus medius activating following heel strike. It is a necessary part of walking and I don't think the way you are describing it would lead to any negative issues.
@@ToddMartinMD I appreciate the response. (feel free to skip below text, just shooting the breeze I guess) I went 30+ years of my life having no issue walking (to my knowledge), but then I tore my peroneol tendon last year. It was a rather extreme injury and is still healing even to this day (mostly subluxation remains). In the last year of my right side of my body compensating for my left being unusable for 3~ months and then painful for the next 6 months or so, it seems I forgot how to do things like walk and engage basic muscles I likely was engaging subconsciously for my whole life. So trying to relearn and re-balance my body has been more difficult than I ever could have imagined. Funny enough, learning how to properly walk again is the most difficult thing I have ever had to do in life... and I use to think engaging my lats in my back was tough during exercises, but this is on another level.
@@someone-ji2zb Another point I meant to add to help with your differentiation of the gluteus medius during the swing through vs the pull from the hip flexors. When you take the last step down stairs and plant your foot on the floor, you are in single leg balance with your rear foot still connected to the upper step. Your gluteus medius is fully engaged at this point but it doesn't get you to step forward. You have to engage your hip flexors to trigger the swing through. As far as the core movement goes the position at the bottom of the step is the same as before toe off.
@@ToddMartinMD It makes sense to me, it is more of overcoming pain from doing things incorrectly while also trying to re-establish the connection between certain muscles and my mind consistently. I appreciate the info
With my weight on my left leg I tend to lean to the left. Which glute med is weak? I have never figured out which side to work on. And is this the reason for not fully shifting weight to balance over left leg? I corrected all this on the right but am still working on the left.
You left is weak or painful. What you are doing is called the compensated Trendelenburg gait. You are leaning to the left to put your center of gravity over the left leg since your left gluteus medius is not functioning well enough to support the body weight.
Unless the glute is weak from an injury, using proper walking mechanics should strengthen it. Walking stairs and hills are especially good flute exercises. I would also wonder what makes you think the glute is weak. If you can walk up stairs on that leg, then it isn’t functionally weak.
@@ToddMartinMD I know my left glue is weak because it’s visibly smaller than my right and I have been also suffering from some hip impingement. My IT band also keeps irritated on that same side suggesting that my glute is weak but I’m struggling to strengthen it as my TFL and hip flexors constantly feel like they try and take over
I do not think strengthening exercises help because it doesn't take more than a basic level of strength in the muscles. What is necessary is coordination. I would recommend looking at my walking technique exercise playlist which gives multiple routines that help train the correct movement patterns.
Lots of misinformation here! I feel it in the glutes not the hip flexors when walking. You cannot isolate glute medius from maximus when walking, both are active - EMG studies prove this. People who don't use their glutes to walk efficiently often have flat backsides, similar to yours!
What you are feeling is your glute medius if you are walking correctly. The question is, are you trying to push yourself forward? The answer should be no. Emg studies show that glute max ceases activity after the foot hits the flat position. People who use their glute max are either leaning forward or have an anterior pelvic tilt because they are not using their lower abs correctly. Here is the test. Walk up stairs. On the last step, you are using your glute max to push up to the standing position. When you reach full standing, the glute max is in full action. Then, wheat are you doing to step forward? The glutes are already maxed. You have to pull forward from that position. All further glute action will do is tilt the pelvis backward.
Interesting- when I walk in a circle, my ankle doesnt hurt (peroneal pain). And as I rotate the belly button from one side to the other, the arms swing in concert, and the leg is propelled forward from this motion. It feels free and relaxed. It feels care free. Is walking in a circle(both ways) a good drill for learning this?
Walking in a circle is a great exercise to improve. Although when we step forward the belly should rotate toward the side of the standing leg, not the swing leg. I. not sure if you are saying that or the opposite.
@@ToddMartinMD Yes, I'm rotating to the side of the landing foot in front ( right leg forward, belly turns to the right) as the left arm comes up to counter this motion. Feet straight ahead (which may take a while to get balanced on as I was duck footed). Thank you
@@zazenforever4940 To clarify the timing, if you are walking in a continuous circle to the right, the left arm should already be forward and up before the right heel places, leftover from the previous swing through. The left arm will continue forward until the right forefoot reaches the flat position. When you step around with the outside (left leg), the right arm should then swing forward when you initiate the swing through.
@@ToddMartinMD Thank you. Dr Martin. It's obvious that I need to retrain how I step through on the left leg and allowing my left knee caving into the center and affecting the lateral ankle. I feel like I need to exaggerate the rotation of the upper body toward the left as I step onto the leg. The example you gave in another video of a rowing motion with the hands is useful. It will take practice to land correctly on this leg again. Thanks for your help
We should not push. That is a more accurate way to say it. The glute medius, on the side back of the hip, does contract. We don’t push with the glute max, unless walking uphill.
You are getting ahead of me. That's the next video which will be up in the next couple of days. I will make that exact point. Pushing at toe off causes a bounce that should not be there.
The point of walking is not to get a work out. The point is to move from one location to another as efficiently as possible. Hopping would work out the calves, but that doesn't mean it is proper walking technique. The calves to get activated during the time when the heel is coming down, but not after.
Man this video is gold. I noticed that the more I develop my glutes, the more that I notice them activating when am
Walking
Great to hear.
DONT SKIP THIS. He takes the confusion out of walking
Thanks for the comment.
I love that there is so much going on in the background. I'm going to have to watch again because I'm up to Plane, Rat, Skittish Hikers, and I know there are at least 12 more items in the scavenger hunt.
Enjoy.
This is wonderfully clear. I finally feel the psoas pulling by doing your walking in circles. I just couldn’t get it before. I still am a bit confused by the phrase “pull the knee forward “. I kept thinking that I had to lift my knee pulling my foot off the ground. After doing the walking circles I think I understand better.
Thank you so much
I am glad the circle walking helped. The idea of pulling the knee forward, or really pulling the upper leg forward. Since the leg is attached to the ground, the result is trying to pull the knee forward will pull your spine forward. I use the analogy to differentiate the idea of pushing the knee back, which is what the glutes do. You need to do the opposite.
Very nicely explained and in a lovely nature enviroment not in those hectic busy gims. Greetings from Madrid, Spain.😊
Glad you enjoyed it!
Very good diagnostic value if you have any pains or issues, and very good preventive value if you want to stop issues from getting worse.
Glad you liked it.
Long time no see. How is everything going? Awesome videos,Todd. 👍 Hope you get recognized by more viewers about tearing down the myths with facts. 🙏
Thanks David. Everything is going great. Hopefully more people will find my stuff. i am hoping this fact check series will get some eyes. I am trying to make each one relatively short and not too complicated.
Thank you so much for your detailed explanation and demonstration. This helps me tremendously with correcting things I have always been told about walking. Your videos have improved my gait and makes walking less difficult. You are a blessing!
Thank you so much. I am thrilled to hear that.
Pretty good video. Thanks for sharing!
Glad you liked it.
wonderfully informative as always. thank you
Thanks Luca
Hey Todd, in walking isnt the only thing the glute max does is slow you down/catch you from initial contact into loading phase. I've tried the glute max push off during walking and it is terrible for your feet and calf muscles. I'm glad you expose this improper use of the glutes
I try not to focus on what muscles may be doing passively because that could confuse people. You certainly do not want to try and activate your glutes to slow you down because that would literally put on the breaks and potentially hyperextend the knee.
@@ToddMartinMD 100% agree, I myself experienced the issue of trying to activate certain muscles and it destabilises your gait. Thanks for you reply Dr Martin
Are we suppose to engage the core while walking?? I’ve always wondered about that.
Thanks, appreciate the video.
If you mean squeeze the core, then no. We have to move the core, which I explain in my videos.
@@ToddMartinMD Thanks
Hi Dr Martin, have you coach chong xie 's youtube channel? He says that during exercises, or sports, such as as basketball, the feet should be connected with glutes. This increases power and stability. How true is that? He learned his method of partly through tai chi and he talks about activating the fascia in the feet through various exercises which he says is a key to athleticism. Do you also take fascia into account when discussing walking? Really happy I came across your channel.
I haven't seen his TH-cam channel, but the whole body is connected. The hands, arms, torso, legs, and feet are all neurologically connected and move as a whole when we move properly. The feet are not just connected to the glutes. They are connected to the entire core, including the waist and the hip flexors. What they say in Tai Chi is that all movement is guided by the waist and powered by the hips (which includes both the glutes and the hip flexors). The arms and legs (including the feet) are controlled by the core movement. I believe this is done through the nervous system, which is how information is instantly communicated across the body. I do not believe fascia is the source of the communication, other than if there are nerves going through the fascia.
I watched on of his videos on Tai Chi and there are so many things off with what he is doing, I don't think he really knows Tai Chi. For one, he is standing completely duck footed when he does his step out, which is just fundamentally incorrect. And some of the stances he displays are not correct Tai Chi stances at all. And he talks a lot about tension. There isn't supposed to be any tension in Tai Chi, and center of all movement is in the waist, not the feet. The feet are relaxed and respond naturally to the movement of the waist and hips. I am more than a bit suspicious.
So practicing walking repetitively up a hill will strengthen the gluteus maximus and perhaps assist in taking pressure off my knee meniscus?
Yes. It is very good for strengthening the glutes and quads which will be beneficial for the knee.
@@ToddMartinMD Merci! Is a 45° grade good enough?
@@laurie6123 That is pretty steep. Any grade will work the glutes, but I would say around 30 degrees would be very good if you plan on walking a significant time period. 45 is going to be a lot of cardio. I walk outdoors, so the grade is constantly shifting, which is good. If you are on a treadmill, I would vary it.
Good information. Being a bit unsteady on my feet the slight engagement of the glutes makes me more stable however. Clearly have to have hip flexor engagement on walking forward.
The gluteus medius is what you should feel engaging primarily.
You’re awesome doctor. Binging your videos and practicing until my walking is perfect.
Wondering if you have a video that hones in on glute function when walking I.e glute med function, glute stability, and overcoming compensation.
Thanks
Glad you are enjoying the videos. Here is a short one specifically about the glutes, but there are multiple othered where I discuss it. The Most Powerful Muscles in Walking: Glutes vs Psoas-How to Walk Properly
th-cam.com/video/d1lsmfVgvwU/w-d-xo.html
Very helpful information, Dr. Martin; thank. you.
My pleasure
Hello eric, i have just stumbled onto you. I have been in chronic pain for a few years in my back. I am not able to play sport, go to the gym. I am wanting more so than anything to be able to move without pain and i believe you will be able to help me. Thankyou.😊
I hope the videos help.
Thankyou
I'll wager you run into a lot of people who believe walking technique really isn't important - just a matter of moving any old way from point A to point B, something I've done for almost 80 years and I only wish I knew then what I know now, as I have the 4 curses of bad posture - fallen arches, knock-knees, posterior pelvic tilt and rounded shoulders. If you were me Dr. Martin, which one of these would you try and deal with first - I really appreciate your vast knowledge - thank you.
You are correct, Ed. Most people, including doctors, are not aware that walking technique is important. I don't think you can work on one aspect of it. Each of the problems you mention are affected by the same thing. If you work on your technique, using the method I describe in my videos, each of the issues you mentions should benefit.
Thanks for your great video! I am still a bit uncertain how to exactly walk correctly. I am finding different informations here on TH-cam and others MD's or PT's are suggestion that you have to really activate the glutes when walking. So it's difficult to know what is right to do 🤷♀I have knee arthritis and can only walk (5 km per day) on pain killers. Have you made other videos that go more into detail showing the right way to walk and how to make sure I fire the correct parts of my body? Thanks in advance @ToddMartinMD
Thanks for watching. There are hundreds of videos on the channel going into everything. Then there is The Walking Code Online Course that teaches my full system for understanding how to coordinate everything correctly
There are some youtube physiotherapists who pretend that using the glutes helps with the knee pain (caused by osteoarthritis). Is that a valid statement? If yes, I'd like to use my glutes when walking forward, but I can't make myself being able to walk using the glutes. I would need a step by step explanation on how to engage the glutes naturally when waking. I have a bad knee (left) and I'd like to try walking using the glutes, to see if I feel any releif, but I can't seem to be able to engage them. An xray and an ultrasound showed some osteoarthritis in my knee.
Can you advise on this? Thanks.
The subject is a bit complex, but I disagree with the point they make about squeezing the glutes and pushing with the glutes. But what they are trying to say in power the step with the standing leg, not by throwing the swing leg forward, which results in duck feet. If you want to learn how to do it properly, my videos will help guide you.
I fell for this one about a month ago, I was walking like a duck to make it easier to squeeze my glutes and trying to grip the ground with the soles of the feet while walking. Some people with more determination than me must have went really hard at applying those foolish recommendations and did real damage to their knees.
I am hoping to get more people on the right path.
Very interesting and informative
Thank you
Glad you enjoyed it
Awesome mate, awesome, very knowledgeable man
Thank you. I am glad you liked it.
hey Dr. Martin! I truly appreciate this video. Also., I am 19 and wanted to ask what is a good amount of time to walk because I sit down a lot like 2 hours at a time and have been noticing back pain any suggestions, Doc?
I think if you get 5000-10000 steps a day that is pretty good. You can certainly walk more if you have time during the day.
@@ToddMartinMD thanks doc 👍🏽
Question: I have anterior pelvic tilt and if I do NOT "squeeze" my glutes my pelvis is in a very poor position and has been the cause of a lot of other issues. My two cues for fixing this are, as you can guess, flexing my abs as well as squeezing my glutes. If I'm not supposed to squeeze my glutes while walking, how can I keep my pelvis in a proper position while walking?
The problem is you are not using your lower abs to keep your pelvis tucked and you are compensating with the glutes. This can be corrected with the right sequence of core movements. I talk about the correct way in many videos.
Dear Dr. Very informative video. Thank u very much. I have a problem with walking. Have limp in the left leg . So pause when walking in left leg. Limited move ment hip flexion and adduction. And Internal rotation. What are the muscles involved? What sort of exercise to do? Sir is it due to gluteal maximum and midius? NEED urgent reply. Thank you Pls upload a video if possible
You may want to try the video I just uploaded this morning on How to Stop Plopping and Bouncing. These exercises can help train the proper muscles and movement patterns
Thank you Sir
While I concede your logic makes sense, I have to ask what your opinion is on whether or not feeling more tension in your gluteus medius is a bad thing if it nearly, if not entirely solved foot pain and lower back issues?
Could it be that in the pursuit of learning how to do that, I accidentally 'learned' how to properly use my core in the process, or do you think I am setting myself up for future failure? I heel strike, and it seems that thinking about a slight push with with the gluteus medius helped my alleviate a great deal of issues I was having for months, but I am not sure if I will suffer other issues as a result. Unfortunately, as I watch all of your videos, I seem to not be capable of making these mental links needed to walk in the way you describe (my body 'forgot' how to do a lot of things after an injury a year ago, so re-learning many things has been rough, especially walking).
I have no issue with your feeling of tension in the gluteus medius. In this video, and others, I am specifically referring to the gluteus maximus. This is what people are generally referring to when they are talking about activating the glutes or pushing with the glutes. The gluteus medius is absolutely needed to be fully engaged because that is what keeps the pelvis from tilting over. Any tension people feel in the buttock area is the gluteus medius, not the gluteus maximus. We don't have to think about engaging the gluteus medius. We only need to keep the pelvis level when on one leg and then by definition the gluteus medius is fully engaged. There is some external rotation involved with the gluteus medius, but that is not what is propelling the body forward. I think it is perfectly fine and helpful to feel the gluteus medius activating following heel strike. It is a necessary part of walking and I don't think the way you are describing it would lead to any negative issues.
@@ToddMartinMD I appreciate the response.
(feel free to skip below text, just shooting the breeze I guess)
I went 30+ years of my life having no issue walking (to my knowledge), but then I tore my peroneol tendon last year. It was a rather extreme injury and is still healing even to this day (mostly subluxation remains).
In the last year of my right side of my body compensating for my left being unusable for 3~ months and then painful for the next 6 months or so, it seems I forgot how to do things like walk and engage basic muscles I likely was engaging subconsciously for my whole life. So trying to relearn and re-balance my body has been more difficult than I ever could have imagined.
Funny enough, learning how to properly walk again is the most difficult thing I have ever had to do in life... and I use to think engaging my lats in my back was tough during exercises, but this is on another level.
Very common situation. You are not alone.
@@someone-ji2zb Another point I meant to add to help with your differentiation of the gluteus medius during the swing through vs the pull from the hip flexors. When you take the last step down stairs and plant your foot on the floor, you are in single leg balance with your rear foot still connected to the upper step. Your gluteus medius is fully engaged at this point but it doesn't get you to step forward. You have to engage your hip flexors to trigger the swing through. As far as the core movement goes the position at the bottom of the step is the same as before toe off.
@@ToddMartinMD It makes sense to me, it is more of overcoming pain from doing things incorrectly while also trying to re-establish the connection between certain muscles and my mind consistently.
I appreciate the info
With my weight on my left leg I tend to lean to the left. Which glute med is weak? I have never figured out which side to work on. And is this the reason for not fully shifting weight to balance over left leg? I corrected all this on the right but am still working on the left.
You left is weak or painful. What you are doing is called the compensated Trendelenburg gait. You are leaning to the left to put your center of gravity over the left leg since your left gluteus medius is not functioning well enough to support the body weight.
What do you recommend if someone has a weak glute on one side and a pretty massive compensation with the TFL and Flexors on that same side ?
Unless the glute is weak from an injury, using proper walking mechanics should strengthen it. Walking stairs and hills are especially good flute exercises. I would also wonder what makes you think the glute is weak. If you can walk up stairs on that leg, then it isn’t functionally weak.
@@ToddMartinMD I know my left glue is weak because it’s visibly smaller than my right and I have been also suffering from some hip impingement. My IT band also keeps irritated on that same side suggesting that my glute is weak but I’m struggling to strengthen it as my TFL and hip flexors constantly feel like they try and take over
What kind of core exercises directly help walking?
I do not think strengthening exercises help because it doesn't take more than a basic level of strength in the muscles. What is necessary is coordination. I would recommend looking at my walking technique exercise playlist which gives multiple routines that help train the correct movement patterns.
Lots of misinformation here! I feel it in the glutes not the hip flexors when walking. You cannot isolate glute medius from maximus when walking, both are active - EMG studies prove this. People who don't use their glutes to walk efficiently often have flat backsides, similar to yours!
What you are feeling is your glute medius if you are walking correctly. The question is, are you trying to push yourself forward? The answer should be no. Emg studies show that glute max ceases activity after the foot hits the flat position. People who use their glute max are either leaning forward or have an anterior pelvic tilt because they are not using their lower abs correctly. Here is the test. Walk up stairs. On the last step, you are using your glute max to push up to the standing position. When you reach full standing, the glute max is in full action. Then, wheat are you doing to step forward? The glutes are already maxed. You have to pull forward from that position. All further glute action will do is tilt the pelvis backward.
Interesting- when I walk in a circle, my ankle doesnt hurt (peroneal pain). And as I rotate the belly button from one side to the other, the arms swing in concert, and the leg is propelled forward from this motion. It feels free and relaxed. It feels care free. Is walking in a circle(both ways) a good drill for learning this?
Walking in a circle is a great exercise to improve. Although when we step forward the belly should rotate toward the side of the standing leg, not the swing leg. I. not sure if you are saying that or the opposite.
@@ToddMartinMD Yes, I'm rotating to the side of the landing foot in front ( right leg forward, belly turns to the right) as the left arm comes up to counter this motion. Feet straight ahead (which may take a while to get balanced on as I was duck footed). Thank you
@@zazenforever4940 To clarify the timing, if you are walking in a continuous circle to the right, the left arm should already be forward and up before the right heel places, leftover from the previous swing through. The left arm will continue forward until the right forefoot reaches the flat position. When you step around with the outside (left leg), the right arm should then swing forward when you initiate the swing through.
@@ToddMartinMD Thank you. Dr Martin. It's obvious that I need to retrain how I step through on the left leg and allowing my left knee caving into the center and affecting the lateral ankle. I feel like I need to exaggerate the rotation of the upper body toward the left as I step onto the leg. The example you gave in another video of a rowing motion with the hands is useful. It will take practice to land correctly on this leg again. Thanks for your help
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Thanks
Dr. So when we are walking we shouldn't contract our glutes, is that it?
We should not push. That is a more accurate way to say it. The glute medius, on the side back of the hip, does contract. We don’t push with the glute max, unless walking uphill.
@@ToddMartinMD Thank you Dr. Can I show you a short video of my walking training after doing your exercises to correct my hip swing?
@@jailsoninline4530 Sure. Send it.
@@ToddMartinMDCan I send it to your email?
@@ToddMartinMD Can I send the video to your email?
What about people who bounce when the walk, what do you think causes this? Too much toe off?
You are getting ahead of me. That's the next video which will be up in the next couple of days. I will make that exact point. Pushing at toe off causes a bounce that should not be there.
@@ToddMartinMD wow i read your mind! Looking forward to it
@@ToddMartinMD but doesn't that work out the calfs?
I put out the Toe Off video last night.
The point of walking is not to get a work out. The point is to move from one location to another as efficiently as possible. Hopping would work out the calves, but that doesn't mean it is proper walking technique. The calves to get activated during the time when the heel is coming down, but not after.