As healthy as walking may be, many people find their pain aggravated when they walk. This article suggests some options.
As an artist, Hope was always in nature for sketching and painting. But sciatica increasingly limited her willingness to walk — she found she didn’t want to walk too far from her car. Even that sometimes makes it worse. But pushing herself also doesn’t seem to work.
Joan finds she has hip pain after walking a few blocks. It’s a flare-up of an old injury. She loves to be out in her neighbourhood, learning the birds, seeing neighbour’s gardens flourishing — but the pain limits her enjoyment and for she can go.
Peter’s ankle pain flares up when he is shopping. it doesn’t take long at all for that old injury to return, and he finds himself holding on to the grocery cart to take off the pressure.
Mary has tried everything to reduce the pain in her foot when she is standing while gardening. The orthotics, the pads. She is really wondering what to try next.
Mike’s old knee injury flares up when he is hiking with his pals. Sometimes he’s worried he’s going to be stuck on the trail. Of course he’s using the hiking poles and good footwear, but he thinks there is something else going on. He wonders if the pain is a result of old habits when walking.
Many of these problems arise from poor self-use, in a way that we aren’t even aware of. We think we are doing the “right” thing, yet in no time the pain returns.
There is a different way that may make a difference, and that is the Feldenkrais Method. In this approach, you use the inherent organic learning that your brain and body naturally use. And, when coupled with a systematic approach, your system learns a new way to walk.
There are many Feldenkrais lessons online and especially in Youtube — simply do a search.
I have been developing Feldenkrais lessons for years for my students and have a variety of lessons in whole courses.
Recently I was working with friends who were campaigning for an election — and they mentioned many of the problems listed above that limited how long they could help in campaigning door-to-door.
So I created a new, quick lesson for them that they could do whenever they wanted — while canvassing, or at home.
How to Benefit. Follow the recording in full (it is about 13 minutes) and then try and recall what steps really stood out for you.
Do the lesson your way. Once you feel you “know” the lesson, then you can modify it to suit your style, including the time available.
You’ll be surprised by how this helps!
Don’t forget to write to me to let me know how this has helped you — and how you have changed it to make it even better for you! (write to: rblack@somaticjourneys.com)
Continue Your Learning.
Check out my article, “Common Foot Problems and the Feldenkrais Method“
Also, the article, “Happy Toes” give you a brief introduction to the 4-lesson series titled “Happy Feet“.
I have several additional courses for you to explore further, starting with a self-paced Free Introductory class.
And, if you are concerned about falling, or have difficulty getting up from the floor, consider the more extensive series, From the Floor to Standing.
