Ep 165: Is There Really a 'Right' Way to Walk?

Move Your DNA with Katy Bowman

Nutritious Movement

Health & Fitness, Movement, Mobile, Flexibility, Muscles, Fitness, Joints, Active, Mobility, Alternative Health, Exercise

4.8 • 660 Ratings

🗓️ 25 September 2024

⏱️ 75 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

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Biomechanist Katy Bowman and biologist Jeannette Loram discuss gait and question whether there is a ‘right’ way to walk.

They explain the mechanics of walking gait, outlining the phases and shapes that each leg and foot should move through during the gait cycle. They propose that an ‘abnormal’ gait would be one that is missing one of these phases or shapes. They also suggest a framework for assessing walking based on efficiency, symmetry and balance. They talk about gait deficits such as shuffling and waddling and what is missing in those gait patterns while acknowledging that we are all individuals and not all gait variation is abnormal or needs to be corrected.

Katy suggests we can only get to the heart of this question by considering human movement ecology; particularly the volume we walk, the shoes we walk in and, for most modern humans, the lack of a requirement to walk long distances efficiently. They discuss this in relation to human hunter-gatherers as well as other animals.

Finally, they answer a couple of listener questions on the rather unusual gait seen in racewalking.

Transcript

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1:40.6	On with the show. This is the Move Your DNA podcast, the show.
1:51.2	This is the Move Your DNA podcast, a show where movement science meets your everyday life.
1:57.0	I'm Katie Bowman, biomechanist, author, and I'm about to walk across England.
2:02.9	And I'm Jeanette Lorham, biologist, movement teacher, and I'm gutted that I am not walking across England with Katie. Everybody is welcome here. Let's get started.
2:12.5	Okay, so we are going to talk about gait today. Are you as excited as I am?
2:18.6	I am. And I, you know what I'm like? I had so many thoughts on this topic and I know I will learn a lot from you.
	...

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