Walking When You're Gimpy
Sunday August 31, 2008
Tammie writes in our Discussion Forum that she broke her leg in three places last year. "I have my Doc's okay to walk, but am not sure of the best way to adapt my gait, which is just a little gimpy when I try to walk fast. Should I keep it slow and go for some distance first?" I've been in Tammie's position, both as the result of injury and from temporary things like blisters. I've never been left so stiff as when I completed the third day of the 3-Day Breast Cancer Walk on blistered feet. Walking with a limp or unusual gait can really strain muscles.
My advice on walking when you're gimpy is to slow down and work on your walking posture and form. If your injury is going to be with you awhile, you must not set up bad habits. You have to think while you walk to maintain the best posture and stride that you can.
Going faster with a limp, lean, or wobble is going to strain the muscles and joints. Going slower with good form trains the right muscles to work together in the right way. Eventually, you will speed up. Let that come naturally.
Good Walking Technique: Step by Step
Comments
Thank you for the advice. I had both knees replaced 3 months ago, and have chronic foot problems which now make me more gimpy than usual. When I started walking again, it was for 2-4 minutes at a time. Now I am up to 12 minutes a day. I am increasing it by 2 minutes a week. alicia
Thanks, It’s nice to know I’m not alone. I have been suffering from chronic foot injuries and really miss my long walks. I am finally back to walking about 20 minutes before it starts hurting. I still continue to walk but I’m walking a lot slower. I long for the day I can say “I only walked 10 miles today”,
Interesting question. I’ve got a variation on it though.
I’m totally blind and am between guide dogs. I never liked using a long white cane and am not as confident with it as I am with a dog. But I’m between dogs. I had to retire my last dog due to the fact that he had begun going blind himself, a fact which I discovered when he started brushing me into things. So I’m on the list for a new class but I don’t want to get even more out of shape than I am. Even with a dog, you have to adapt your technique a little but you can go pretty fast. What I’m wondering though is if there are any blind walkers who can relate and if so, is it best to try to do it with a cane or to walk with a sighted guide. Any thoughts would be helpful. Also, has anyone had any experience with those pedal exercisers like the “drive pedaler” and similar devices? I know they’re cheaper than stationary bikes and have the advantage of portability and ease of storage when not in use, which is good when you live in limited space like I do. The sites I’ve read about them on say that you can sit in a chair and use your feet to peddle or you can put them on a table for use with your arms as part of an upper body workout. But I’ve never actually gotten my hands on one to try so was wondering if anybody knew anything about them. Also, does anyone know of any good instructional CDs or audiotapes for home exercise routines? I used to go to a gym three times a week and do the treadmill or another cardio machine and then do strength training. It was a special program for people with disabilities where you had a person assigned to you that would set up the machines, instruct in use and help design your program. I liked that a lot. It was nice to have someone to talk to and to help me when I’d never worked on machines like that before and had no idea how to pace myself or how many reps to do or even which machines to use when. Since the machines were all digital and depended on one’s ability to see displays in order to set up resistance levels and such, I needed the help. My experience in other such settings, like the local YMCA, have not been as positive. I know some people have good results. But I ran into people who were too busy and were not good enough teachers to be able to either verbally explain the exercises (like in a water aerobics class I failed miserably at) or actually move my hands, arms and legs to show me kinesthetically what to do. A lot of the teachers that get hired at these places (not all of them, I know I’m generalizing) just rely on the fact that people will watch them do the moves and will be able to duplicate them. Even my sister, who has taught aerobics for a long time and has run marathons and all that still can’t explain to me how to do the exercises. Now, I’m not decrepit or anything but I’m no spring chicken and I want to do something low impact not try to twist my body into all kinds of contortions. So if anyone has any suggestions, I’d appreciate them. Thanks a lot.