- We're gonna talk about the most common problem we see
with people's walking and how they can fix it.
- That's right.
Changing this one thing can greatly improve not
only knee pain, but your hip, back, and foot pain.
(upbeat music)
- So, the single worst thing we see most people do
when walking that they shouldn't be doing is walking
with a locked knee like this.
- Now, don't get this wrong.
We're not saying that if my knee is locked like this,
people aren't walking like this, although that would be bad.
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 locks
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,"
really reduces the stress
throughout the whole chain.
- So, if you're striking on your heel like this,
you could see how the shock absorption would go all the way
up through my body into the chain, like this.
So, this is how much force is getting spread
throughout your joints where, if your knee is bent,
the force is gonna stop here at your knees
where they're supposed to take it.
- Oh, nice analogy, Mike!
I like it! I like it!
- 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 wanna buy.
- So, simply take your masking tape, put it over your calf,
like this, and flex your knee about the 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 actually pulling off right now,
so if I walk with my knee slightly fixed,
I can avoid that locked knee syndrome we're talking about.
This tape is strictly a test.
It will not work for long term.
We'll show you what will.
Okay, what you're gonna do is get some tape made for this.
There's gonna 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 varied, not flexible at all.
Can you flex your knee, Mike, a little bit? There we go.
So, with his knee flexed, I'm gonna put this over the top.
One thing when you're working with tapes, 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.
Alright, so Mike, I've got it on.
Do you feel it when you straighten your knee?
Do you feel a pull, a tug on your?
- Yep.
So, it's gonna pull on your muscles
and you're gonna feel your knee pushing into it.
It's like a resistance almost,
so it's gonna 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 of time and a lot of-
- Turn a little more. We're gonna-
- A lot of people, what they do is they end
up locking their knees like this.
I feel it, so it's more of a reminder.
It's not gonna prevent you 100% going in the knee extension,
but it's a constant reminder
because a lot of time, we subconsciously do this.
- 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, or 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 gonna 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 gonna help
and create the proper walking pattern
is strength in the glute muscles
'cause what happens with people is, over time,
the glute muscles become weak.
When they become weak, it changes a walking pattern,
which is accelerated by the straight knee,
so it's changing everything,
strength in the glute muscle, soft knee,
and it's really gonna change your walking.
Here's how you strengthen the glute.
- So, what you wanna do is try to walk on your forefoot
when you land with a slight bend in your knee, like this.
Now, most people will do heel strike first, straight knee.
This tape, well, is a reminder not to do that, by the way.
So, what you wanna do is land on your forefoot.
This will have a slight bend in your knee,
activate your butt muscles more,
so you're gonna 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.
- Right, we call that palpating in the therapy world.
You palpate
your gluteal muscles. - Not butt touching.
- Alright, are we gonna show
some exercises, how to strengthen?
- And we'll show you now a couple glute exercises you
can try at home too.
- Say no more.
- Alright, we're gonna do some glute pumps,
and they're a little different
than your typical glute pumps.
I'm gonna 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 gonna get down on your elbows, like this.
You're gonna lift.
You're gonna do this on both sides, by the way.
Bring your leg up like this,
have a bend in your knee, and you're gonna kick towards
the ceiling just in a little range of motion, like this.
They're small oscillations,
and you wanna 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 gonna get more hamstring involvement.
So, just try to focus on that butt firing.
- You can also take your foot
and rotate it in waves that way
and that will isolate the glute a little bit more as well.
If you happen to get a hamstring cramp,
simply straighten that leg out right away and stretch it,
and then take a break from the exercise.
- Yep, and 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.
- If you do not feel comfortable on all fours,
on your hands and knees, simply go up to a cupboard,
a table, and go forward with your hands there,
you can go down to your forearms,
and then it's the same thing: 90-degree bend in the knee,
lift it up, not real 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 gonna isolate that glute more
and work it up and down.
It's nice actually to time it.
You can count 20 to 30 reps, 15 to 30 seconds.
You'll feel that but muscle start to burn, so hey!
- Try these ways to make your walking correct itself,
to engage your buttock, and decrease knee,
back, and hip pain.
- Great.
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 exercises later.
What do you say?
- Say no more.
- We're done. Take care.
Good luck with your walking.
(upbeat music)