Hello,

This week, while doing some research, I ran across an article in Reuters. The article reports "baby boomers" are experiencing an increase in "wear and tear" injuries due to bilaterally asymmetrical biomechanics, poor flexibility, and excessive joint compression when walking, running and being active.

Boy, that's a mouthful....what do I mean with those reasons?

Bilaterally asymmetrical biomechanics: The joints and muscles on one side of your body are not moving the same as the other side of your body. You are in need of a "wheel alignment", so to speak.
Poor flexibility : Your muscles are so tight that your body has to worker extra hard to overcome the resistance of your tight muscles to move properly.
Excessive joint compression : Much like when you give your fat uncle a piggyback ride, your weight or compression of your joints do not allow you to move freely and efficiency.

Their suggested solution? That boomers should consider cutting back on the amount and type of exercise they do.

I disagree.

For too long our society has been instructed to slow down and move less. Instead of cutting back on the amounts and types of exercise--what we really need is to correct the reasons for our discomfort.

Today I am going to start with one that affects you every day--all day long--even when you aren't working out.
I'm going to give you some tips on how to run, jump and walk lightly to help your body align itself. Remember: Our bodies are a lot smarter than we are... so when we allow our body to move without pain... it will subconsciously alter thousands of variables within our skeletal system in an effort to maintain this pain-free state.

You may not think you "pound" or "stomp" when you walk, run or jump...so I want to start with a demonstration. Step heavily onto a bathroom scale. Did you see the numbers jump up high? Now step on the scale again lightly--you will see that the last number reached is lower than when you stepped heavily.

Here are some ideas to help you re-train yourself to walk, run and jump lighter and more efficiently which will, in turn, lessen the wear and tear on your body:

1) Try to walk, run and jump as quietly as possible. Physics 101 taught us that "energy is neither created nor destroyed" so if you are hearing the pounding of your feet, your legs have to absorb that energy.

2) Watch your shoulders in the window when you walk into a store and your feet prints when you walk out of the shower. Are you doing the same on one side as you are on the other?

3) Practice jumping with a soft landing. Bend your knees when landing. Try not to make a sound when you land. Gradually increase the height you are jumping from while maintaining a soft landing.

4) Don't lean forward or over stride. This results in "falling forward" which puts stress on the lower back and pounding on the foot. Shorter and quicker strides with slightly exaggerated arm swings are the key to improving your forward flow with less effort.

5) While trying to walk softly, don't tip toe or roll your foot too far forward. The key here is to keep everything easy and normal without overcompensating one thing in order to fix another.

6) When purchasing running shoes, properly match your foot-strike and footwear. Purchasing footwear at a respected running store is well worth the time to help you get a shoe that will allow you to maintain a neutral position when running.

Next time I'll address flexibility. In the meantime, for some flexibility pointers for Golfers check out my answer to Paul F.'s question.

With Healthy Regards,

Mike Ryan PT, ATC, PES

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