Despite the popularity of walking as a form of exercise, people don't seem to care much about the posture of walking. I remember that on the stage of the Spring Festival Gala, there was a popular line in Zhao Benshan and Fan Wei's classic sketches: "Take two steps, it's okay to take two steps"! This sentence actually contains a deep meaning. Nowadays, we are increasingly aware that a person's physical condition can really be glimpsed from the way they walk.
You may think that the difference in everyone's walking posture is purely for aesthetic reasons, but this is not the case. The posture of walking is like a mirror, which can reflect the state of our physical health.
1. Is the blood vessel blocked? Stand up and take two steps
If middle-aged and elderly people want to judge the condition of their blood vessels, they only need to get up and walk for a while. If you have the following six warning signs, it may indicate a potential health risk!
(1) Feeling chest tightness or chest pain after walking about 200 meters;
(2) Dizziness or headache symptoms for no reason when walking;
(3) Slight pain in the heart during walking;
(4) The palm of the hand is numb or bruised when walking;
(5) After a few minutes of movement, the legs feel weak and the muscles are sore;
(6) When walking, there is a significant difference in blood pressure between the hands or legs.
These symptoms can be a sign of occlusion or severe stenosis of a blood vessel and should be taken seriously once they are detected.
In addition, if middle-aged and elderly people frequently experience dizziness, loss of balance, and leaning to one side when walking, they should also be alert to signs that blood vessels may be blocked. Also, if you feel numbness in your feet or legs during normal walking, this may also be an important indication of a blockage in the lower extremities and you should seek immediate medical attention.
2. 5 abnormal walking postures may be the body issuing an early warning
1. Walk on tiptoe
This condition may be due to neurological lesions such as damage to the spine or brain, which may cause the feet to rise on tiptoe when walking. At the same time, people with high arched feet often experience pain and symptoms of joint stiffness during walking.
2. The soles of the feet hit the ground first
Normally, people walk with their heels on the ground first. However, if a person is observed to be the first to hit the ground with the ball of their foot when walking, this may be due to insufficient strength in the anterior muscles of the foot to drive the instep of the foot properly.
There may be a variety of disease causes behind this phenomenon, among which cerebral palsy and stroke hemiplegia are the main causes. These patients often have symptoms of foot drop due to weakened muscle strength, in which the ball of the foot touches the ground before the heel when walking.
In addition, severe lumbar disc herniation can trigger the same symptoms. This is because a herniated disc in the lumbar spine may compress the nerves, which in turn weakens the dorsal muscles and causes foot drop, allowing the ball of the foot to land before the heel when walking.
3. Do not swing your arms when walking
During our normal walking, as we move forward, our waist produces a twisting motion that leads our arms to a natural swing. If you notice that your arms don't swing naturally as you normally when walking, it's likely a sign that something else is wrong with your body.
4. Walk in circles
When they walk, they stretch one leg straight and outward, and then walk in a clockwise direction as if they were drawing a circle with a compass, most likely due to a cerebral embolism or stroke.
5. Walking with a small stride
Some people think that walking in small steps seems graceful and graceful, however, not being able to take large strides can also be a pathological manifestation.
For those who are physically fit, they are able to walk in stride, as if they have the help of the wind under their feet. However, for the elderly or infirm, their legs and feet are no longer as agile. In addition, there are some diseases that can also cause a smaller stride length when walking, such as osteoarthritis, knee bone degeneration and other senile degenerative diseases, and patients with these conditions often experience a significant reduction in stride length when walking.
3. What is the correct walking posture?
1. Gait calmly
The ideal walking posture should be calm and calm, with a moderate pace, not impatient or procrastinating, and stable when walking. Every step should be light and comfortable, and avoid excessive limb swaying or leaning forward. Obviously, those twisted, unsteady, rapid and flustered gaits do not meet the criteria for healthy walking.
2. Keep your head up and your chest high, and your pace is coordinated
When walking, a healthy posture should be one with your head held high, and your gait should be light and harmonious. During the march, the body should remain upright, with the arms swinging naturally and the legs working together. Such a walking posture is not only elegant and generous, but also conducive to maintaining the stability of the body.