We all adapt, but some of us adapt better than others. One of the things we learn early on is how to walk. Walking is more complicated than you may believe, but there are many things your body and brain must learn before you begin to walk. All of these mechanisms that include holding something in our hands, rolling, crawling and finally standing all contribute to the coordination required for walking. Many of the musculoskeletal problems patients present with develop from poor adaptations to how we walk or run. When I teach my class on foot orthotics, I begin with a video of people walking. Some are limping, others are jogging, and others may have other adaptations they are probably not aware of. At the end of the class, having learned more about the important of symmetry and how we walk, we again view the view and I ask them what they see now. The responses are usually different as they can now spot gait asymmetries and other features that can result in pain in the back, legs or even neck and shoulders. Holistic evaluation of how we walk and move sometimes is the game changer when it comes to properly diagnosing a pain pattern that continually returns. Most of the medical world would never think to put someone on a treadmill and do a 30-second video, and would more likely order a diagnostic test such as an MRI. These tests can show us what happens years later from poor movement patterns, but rarely help us understand the patient who is in pain unless the patient now has a disc problem or other entity responsible for the pain. The bad habits of gait are often why we hurt. A patient today who has had a problem for a while was placed on a treadmill at a 2.8 mph walking pace after she again exacerbated her back pain. Treadmill evaluations help diagnose poor gait habits. The video showed that she had minimal movement in the upper body, although her walking stride was symmetrical. After her treatment consisting of myofascial release and spinal and rib manipulation, there was slightly more movement in the upper body, but improvement was minimal. I then took a second video with instructions on how to move the arms and the upper body when walking, which was not natural for her. She immediately noticed she felt lighter on her feet, and she was able to see improved stride and better movement mechanics in the second video. The protocol is to practice walking, moving the arms and the upper body as instructed, and over a few months, increase the speed to 3.4mph. Over time, the patient will experience improvements in how they feel and function, and the video can be redone after a few months. Some people have used treadmills in running stores to evaluate shoes, although these are often used to sell a particular product. Roadrunner Sports uses its shoe dog system this way, and it is helpful to a point. If we look further at how we walk on those treadmills, we can discover much more than shoe mechanics. We can understand patterns of movement developed over many years, which result in pain. While you can teach better mechanics and use videos to help the patient see their current situation and use future videos to evaluate their progress, the brain, over time, through a process called neuroplasticity, can turn bad movement patterns into good ones. Neuroplasticity in children happens over days or weeks, although adults can require months, which is why we prescribe repetition daily using a treadmill for the best effect. Over time, the new gait adaptations replace the old, and patients feel and function differently. Gait analysis has helped people with vertigo balance issues chronic tightness chronic pain visible gait abnormalities. If you are frustrated with pain and have not had your gait evaluated, this type of evaluation can be educational and helpful in understanding why you hurt. Runners who relearn these skills often improve their running times and have fewer injuries due to impact. A recent article originally published in the Guardian suggests walking more makes us healthier, smarter, and happier. Walking without pain in the warmer weather is even more enjoyable. You can check out the article below ‘It’s a Superpower’: How Walking Makes Us Healthier, Happier and Brainier Need help today? Book online. .