The Walking Code: Proper Walking Footwork with Todd Martin MD

If you are having problems with the way you walk, 
or questions about how to walk correctly, you   may find yourself very frustrated. You can't find 
much help from the doctor, and you found yourself   looking for answers on YouTube. On YouTube you 
find top videos giving conflicting information,   or information that just doesn't make any sense. 
Do you place with your heel or with your midfoot.   Do you stand up straight or do you lean forward. 
Are shoes harmful or are shoes helpful. How   can people disagree on something so basic to 
human existence. Good question. In this video,   I'd like to help clarify the issue about foot 
placement, heel, flat, or ball, and why people   disagree. Let's start with what has been generally 
accepted. This is an image of the standard gait   cycle from the most comprehensive scientific book 
on gait by Jacqueline Perry.

It clearly shows the   heel as the point of initial contact. If you 
look up any images about the human gait cycle,   you won't find any disagreement that heel 
placement is normal in human walking gait. If you   watch crowds of people walking, nearly everyone 
naturally places on the heel. We should start from   that premise. Carl Sagan once said extraordinary 
claims require extraordinary evidence. To claim   that this is all wrong, and heel placement is 
incorrect, is an extraordinary claim and should   be looked at skeptically.

Let's look at what a 
normal functional heel placement should look like. The heel hovers just above the 
ground at the end of the leg swing,   then comes down in a controlled fashion. The heel is not driving into the 
ground at the end of the leg swing. The posture is completely vertical at every stage   of the step. No forward lean or backward 
lean is necessary to initiate the step. Here is a frame-by-frame of the leg swing 
and the heel placement. The leg swing is   powered by a lifting action from the 
standing leg hip.

The swing through   ends when the heel is just above the ground, 
then the foot places in a controlled fashion. The swing-through is initiated when the forward 
knee is perpendicular to the ankle. The energy   comes from the rotation of the torso and 
the lifting from the standing leg hip. There is no push off from the 
rear hip or the rear foot. Now,   here is why incorrect heel placement can be a 
problem. This clip shows the results of leaning   forward and pushing off to initiate a step. 
The rear hip is pushing back as the heel hits. The heel hits the ground with force and forward 
momentum. The torso is leaning instead of   rotating. The rear hip is pushing back instead 
of lifting forward. This is not normal walking   technique. This is the type of incorrect heel 
strike that causes damage and poor posture. The   solution is not to change the nature of walking. 
The solution is to move correctly from your core,   resulting in a gentle heel placement and 
natural roll through from heel to ball. Thanks for watching.

As found on YouTube