Re: How to walk? (was: hello, new here)

[Guest guest]

Ann, you're right that it all starts with the feet. I am the pot

calling the kettle black here, as I haven't really worked on getting

my feet up to par, either. I am rather flat-footed, and perhaps

correcting that would go a long way towards correcting other problems

further up the chain (knee, hip, back). Have you seen a podiatrist?

I think I'm going to ask my primary care doc to chaeck out my feet

(she's really great) and recommend a podiatrist if needed.

As for the brace thing, I think it's a win-lose situation. Without

bracing, it's sometimes impossible to get a certain muscle group to

fire correctly due to pain or misalignment (hyperextension, medial-

lateral instability, etc.) However, you can get lazy with the brace

and never re-train yourself to walk " correctly " . I don't have the

link, but look up " hyperextended gait pattern " on any search engine,

and you'll probably hit on Dr. Noyes and Ms. Sue Barber-

Westin's article on this (Cincinnati Sports Medicine--maybe also try

their site). I tried walking without the brace but doing higher-

stress activities (i.e., cycling for me) with the brace so I could

get my affected leg to work a little more. I hit a " plateau " with

the brace, but at least the plateau was higher than what I had pre-

brace. (Since then, I had an LR, which does nothing for

hyperextension, but may help with alignment problems overall--we'll

see.)

Best wishes,

Joe B.

the bolanbiker

> It seems to me that if you had a brace, it would further weaken the

weak muscles. I think you have to train your brain to feel when a

wobble is about to take place. I know exactly what you mean about it

being like you never walked correctly so you need complete re-

training. I also walk " heavy " -- land hard on my heel and, if I'm

walking on a wood floor with a space under it, I sound like the fee-

fi-fo-fum giant. I feel like I have no clue how you're supposed to

walk. Or maybe my feet (low arch, some pronating, flat instep, slew-

footed) actually can't walk correctly. My feet were always the first

to complain when I was hiking a lot in the early 90s.

>

> I always wondered why my hams never bulged out " normally " even

after 3 years of mountain climbing -- maybe what you said -- I

wasn't using them!! I love the ham machine at the gym.

> Ann

[Guest guest]

Yes! Everyone makes fun of me all the time for walking heavy, like a

giant, making stomp-stomp-stomping noises! It's funny because I'm

relatively small, but I walk like an elephant, not delicately at

all. (that sounds Dr. Suess-y When I was younger, I had

corrective shoes for my pigeon toes, but I never wore them and I was

ALWAYS the first to complain about my feet... I went ten years at

least thinking I was just lazy compared to other people. I never

seem to get enough arch support, I HATE completely flat flip-flops,

they pull the middle of my foot and I charley horse there. I prefer

heels so that won't happen, but that killed my knees... so what I

need now is really good " sensible shoes. " Do they make Birkenstocks

in swanky styles? OTB- what a bad knee day today, ow!

> > > > My knee pain started about 6 weeks I would say....Just

woke up

> > > with it

> > > > hurting...no injury whatsoever......I went to a family

> medicine

> > > doctor

> > > > and she told me I had tendonitis....and put me on

> bextra....well

> > > about

> > > > 3 weeks after that knee was still hurting, swelling,

grinding,

> > > > popping. So i decided it was time to see an orthropedic

> surgeon

> > > > ....well they took an xray and it showed my rt patella was

> > higher

> > > than

> > > > the other one....and he thought I had a torn meniscus so i

> went

> > and

> > > > did the Mri and come to find out as of yesterday I had a

> nomral

> > > MRI.

> > > > And the doctor told me i think ya got a knee cap

> > problem ...what

> > > the

> > > > heck does that mean anyway...after the fact he told me I

had

> > > > chondromalacia of the knee......Haven't started any kind

of

> > > physical

> > > > therapy yet...and the doctor wanted to give me cortisone

shots

> > but

> > > > what i hear is that they don't work.....Found out that my

dad

> > had

> > > this

> > > > exact same problem in his late 30's....well i am in my late

> > > > 20's.....not even 29 yet......sucks.......

> > > >

> > > > I guess I will just have to deal with this pain forever

or

> will

> > > it go

> > > > away with physical therapy?

> > > >

> > > > Glad to have found this group!

> > > >

> > > > Kayla

>

>

>

> -------------------------------------------------------------------

-----------

>

[Guest guest]

I used to walk and run in a way that caused the heel of my foot to

land first. The effect is that it would sound like I was a giant from

the hard impact and it may have caused an extra amount of stress on

my joints. My CP started when I was 10 or 11 with the crackling

noises made when I went from a squat position to standing straight

but the chronic pain started suddenly when I was 27. Since then I've

tried to start walking so that the front half of my foot hits first

for a softer landing. I've heard that's the best way to walk. I

dunno. Hopefully I'm not making things worse.

I will also add that I have huge arches in my feet, so that gene

alone will not save you or your offspring from CP.

-

> > > > > My knee pain started about 6 weeks I would say....Just

> woke up

> > > > with it

> > > > > hurting...no injury whatsoever......I went to a family

> > medicine

> > > > doctor

> > > > > and she told me I had tendonitis....and put me on

> > bextra....well

> > > > about

> > > > > 3 weeks after that knee was still hurting, swelling,

> grinding,

> > > > > popping. So i decided it was time to see an orthropedic

> > surgeon

> > > > > ....well they took an xray and it showed my rt patella

was

> > > higher

> > > > than

> > > > > the other one....and he thought I had a torn meniscus so

i

> > went

> > > and

> > > > > did the Mri and come to find out as of yesterday I had a

> > nomral

> > > > MRI.

> > > > > And the doctor told me i think ya got a knee cap

> > > problem ...what

> > > > the

> > > > > heck does that mean anyway...after the fact he told me I

> had

> > > > > chondromalacia of the knee......Haven't started any kind

> of

> > > > physical

> > > > > therapy yet...and the doctor wanted to give me cortisone

> shots

> > > but

> > > > > what i hear is that they don't work.....Found out that my

> dad

> > > had

> > > > this

> > > > > exact same problem in his late 30's....well i am in my

late

> > > > > 20's.....not even 29 yet......sucks.......

> > > > >

> > > > > I guess I will just have to deal with this pain forever

> or

> > will

> > > > it go

> > > > > away with physical therapy?

> > > > >

> > > > > Glad to have found this group!

> > > > >

> > > > > Kayla

> >

> >

> >

> > ------------------------------------------------------------------

-

> -----------

> >