The other night I was watching a basketball game featuring a player who suffered severe ankle injuries just a few short years ago. If he had suffered the injury at an earlier stage in his career, it’s unlikely he would have made a successful comeback.
Why? Because a team of specialists taught him a new way to walk, run, and jump that could protect his ankles. By assessing his movement patterns, they were able to find the most optimal way for him to move without harming his ankles.
And they could probably do the same for you.
Gait retraining is one of the ways you can limit pain and injury risk in your hips, knees, and ankles. It might seem strange, but the natural way you’ve evolved to walk might not be the best for your body. Over time, your gait may lead to joint problems.
This can lead to plenty of pain, immobility, and increase your risk for a series of chronic condition.
If you’re already doing things to protect your joints—supplementing and eating right to manage inflammation—gait retraining might be able to help you.
It would require enlisting a physical therapist to look at how you walk. They would assess your movement patterns and essentially teach you how to walk in a more efficient way that protects your joints. It can be a struggle at fits—you’d be breaking old habits—but after a while, the new stride would become instinctual.
Of course, you might not need gait retraining at all to help ease joint pain in your lower body. Sometimes a specialized pair of shoes or a workout program to strengthen of loosen muscles may be all you need.
When it comes to joint pain and injury risk, there are a number of safe, natural, and effective treatments to try. Any combination of which could work for you!