Walking can injure, and often does. Walking correctly and ergonomically has many benefits. It can actually prevent injury and pain, rejuvenate and help us handle stress effectively, and increase energy and strength.         

Step by step, many people are causing injury to joints and misbalancing muscles. For instance, certain sets of muscles, such as the hip flexors, overtighten, which can lead to hip joint injury and tighten our lower backs. Many pull the shoulders back, forcing the head forward, or they hold their heads still, preventing the spine and neck from rotating effectively. Each of these actions results in pain.         

Therapist, doctors and other holistic health care providers can help prevent or fix some injuries, but if we keep walking or doing exercise the wrong way, the injury and pain will return.         

Re-Patterning our coordination can end our injury walk. The body has a wonderful neuro (nerve)– muscular (muscle) system that was built to coordinate the body systems and handle how we move. It has neuromuscular coordination patterns, which need to be allowed to function ergonomically so that the way we walk and move can not only prevent injury and pain, but make us healthier and stronger.         

Coordination Pattern Training can release the body’s inherent ergonomic walk. For instance, there are approximately 7,000 nerve endings on the bottom of our feet, and they are best coordinated when the weight falls into the arch. Just by not pulling shoulders back and having weight fall into the arch, the walk becomes more ergonomic.  

Location: Twin Ponds Integrative Health Center, Breinigsville. For information on Coordination Pattern Training classes and private sessions, call Betsy Wetzig at 610-398-9652.