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This article is a transcribed edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in April of 2023. For the original video go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P25RwG-OGlU&t=44s
Mike: We're going to talk about the most common problem we see with people's walking and how they can fix it.
Brad: That's right. Changing this one thing can greatly improve not only knee pain but also your hip, back, and foot pain.
Mike: So the single worst thing we see most people do in walking, that they shouldn't be doing is walking with a locked knee.
Brad: Now, don't get us wrong, we're not saying that if my knee is locked, people aren't walking straight-legged, although that would be bad.
Brad: So we're talking about when your foot strikes the ground on your heel, your knee is fully locked at that point, and then we roll through and it flexes. What happens is when it's fully locked and you get that heel strike, it puts a tremendous amount of force through your joints, your ankle, your hip, your knee, your hip, as well as your back. So if we can change that, so we strike with a slight forefoot and a slight bend in the knee, we've got a little cushion there, we call it walking with soft knees. It really reduces the stress throughout the whole chain.
Mike: So if you're striking on your heel, you could see how the shock absorption goes all the way up through my body into the chain.
Mike: So this is how much force is getting spread throughout your joints, where if your knee is bent, the force is going to stop here at your knees where they're supposed to take it.
Brad: Oh, nice analogy, Mike. I like it. I like it.
Mike: So for this simple test, what you would need is some type of masking tape. And then if this works, we'll show you what type of tape you really want to buy.
Brad: So simply take your masking tape, put it over your calf like this, and flex your knee about 15 degrees. Put this on so it's tight, it's not loose, and then simply try walking. And if you go and extend your knee, I can feel that tape. It's pulling off right now. So if I walk with my knee slightly flexed, I can avoid that locked knee syndrome we're talking about.
Brad: This tape is strictly a test. It will not work for the long term. We'll show you what will. Okay, what you're going to do is get some tape made for this. There's going to be an initial layer of prep tape that fits or sticks on your knee. You do not have to have your knee fully locked for this, but make sure it's without wrinkles. Now this tape that goes over the top is rigid, it's very not flexible at all. Can you flex your knee, Mike, a little bit? There we go. So with his knee flexed, I'm going to put this over the top.
Brad: One thing when you're working with tapes is it's an adhesive, there will be a small percentage of people who will not tolerate this and their skin will break down. It'll turn red, it'll itch, sometimes it blisters. If you feel any of that happening within the first few hours or day, you're done. You cannot use this option. All right, so Mike, I've got it on. Do you feel it when you straighten your knee, do you feel a pull?
Mike: Yep. So it's going to pull on your muscles and you're going to feel your knee pushing into it. It's like a resistance almost. So it's going to remind you not to lock your knee. Now, I can still lock my knee with this on, but it's a constant reminder not to do it. So if you're even just standing for a long period, and a lot of people, what they do is they end up locking their knees. I feel it. So it's more of a reminder. It's not going to prevent you from 100% going into the knee extension, but it's a constant reminder because a lot of time we subconsciously do this.
Brad: Right. And this, you have to have clean skin, this will stay on your leg for a couple of days. If you have oily skin and not clean, not so long. So make sure you get that proper. You do not have to put this on. If you try and walk with a soft knee, that means you're not going to heel strike, you're going to walk on your forefoot, it doesn't have the reminder, but it does help. It's another option when you don't have the tape. Okay, so a strengthening exercise that's going to help create the proper walking pattern is to strengthen the glute muscles. Because what happens with people is over time, the glute muscles become weak. When they become weak, it changes the walking pattern, which is accelerated by the straight knees. So it's changing everything. Strengthen the glute muscle and soft knee, and it's going to change your walking. Here's how you strengthen the glute.
Mike: So, what you want to do is try to walk on your forefoot when you land with a slight bend in your knee.
Mike: Most people will do a heel strike first, straight knee. This tape is a reminder not to do that, by the way. So what you want to do is land on your forefoot. This will have a slight bend in your knee, and activate your butt muscles more. So you're going to walk on your forefoot as you're walking. If you're in your house, simply place your hand on your buttock to feel if your butt muscle is firing. Now, you can try your old pattern of walking with your hands on your butt, as well. See how your butt muscles aren't firing as much to get an idea and then walk on your forefoot and you can feel the difference of pushing through your glute max, which they're meant to do when you're walking.
Brad: Right. We call that palpating in the therapy world. You palpate your gluteal muscles.
Mike: Not butt-touching.
Brad: All right, are we going to show some exercises on how to strengthen the glutes?
Mike: Yes, we'll show you a couple of glute exercises you can try at home, too.
Brad: Say no more.
Mike: All right, we're going to do some glute pumps, and they're a little different than your typical glute pumps. I'm going to be doing them in a kneeling or quadruped position. Brad will show it in a standing alternative if you cannot get down on all fours. So you're going to get down on your elbows. You're going to do this on both sides by the way. Bring your leg up. Have a bend in your knee and you're going to kick towards the ceiling just in a little range of motion. They're small oscillations and you want to do 30 repetitions total. If you need to do five, take a break, do five, take a break, you can certainly start that way. Make sure your butt's firing. A lot of times if you go up too high, you're going to get more hamstringing involvement, so just try to focus on that butt-firing.
Brad: You can also take your foot and rotate it inward, and that will isolate the glute a little bit more, as well. If you happen to get a hamstringing cramp, simply straighten that leg out right away and stretch it, then take a break from the exercise.
Mike: Yep. Make sure to do this on both sides. If you feel balanced, you can go on all fours. You could certainly try to palpate your butt and feel if it's firing more.
Brad: If you do not feel comfortable on all fours, on your hands and knees, simply go up to a cupboard, or a table, and go forward with your hands. You can go down to your forearms and then it's the same thing. Place a 90-degree bend in the knee, not too high, at about mid-range, and simply start doing them here. You can rotate then so that your heel goes towards your other leg and that's going to isolate that glute more and work it up and down. It's nice to time it. You can count 20 to 30 reps, 15 to 30 seconds. You'll feel that butt muscle start to burn. All right.
Mike: Try these ways to make your walking correct itself, engage your buttocks, and decrease knee, back, and hip pain.
Brad: Right. Seems like a lot of work to get into this, so maybe break it apart. First, work on soft knee walking, and then add the glute mount exercises later. What do you say?
Mike: Say no more.
Brad: We're done. Take care. Good luck with your walking.
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