Dr. Satyen BhattacharyyaWalking on Hard Surface
Updated: May 7
Some times we do not have soft surface to walk or run. It is always better to workout on soft surfaces. In case you don't have any option for that the you have to follow some tips to avoid the adverse effect. First we will point some adverse effect of the running or walking on the hard surface.
Adverse effect of walking/running on hard surface:
Knee pain
Achilles tendon pain & achilles tendonitis
Low back pain
Muscle stiffness
Collapse of arch of foot
Bunions
Hammer toes
Excessive pronation with heel and arch pain
Shin splints
Posterior tibial tendonitis etc
Common affected area:
apart from these three joints, hip joint also can be affected but that is rare because of the strong musculature around the hip joint. If a person is not careful about this then the entire biomechanics can be in stake.
What is the normal speed of walking for male & female?
this table is from PHYSICAL REHABILITATION of the INJURED ATHLETE 4th edition by James R. Andrews, Gary L. Harrelson, Kevin E. Will
follow some tips in your daily exercise routine and avoid adverse effect of it
What precaution you should take if you are walking on hard surface?
Shoe: choosing shoes is very important. Shoe should be perfectly fitted and it should have maximum flexibility.
If the shoe is not flexible enough then it can harm the biomechanics of foot.
Arch Support: Using medial arch support in the shoe is always comfortable and relaxing. It is also used to correct the flat foot deformity.
Foot Cushion: If running gives you pain and using proper footwear not ease your pain then you can use foot cushion. Keep in your mind that you should not use it once the pain is gone, try to do some ankle strengthening exercises so you may not need it frequently.
Warm-up: warm -up is always important for any kind of exercises or sporting activities. So always start with brisk walking then go for fast walking and then running. You can include range of motion exercises and breathing exercises for warm up activities.
Cycling: If you're walking surface is hard then try to do cycling for 15 minutes a day. It will protect you from further damage.
Muscle strengthening: Concentrate on quadricep, hamstring and calf muscle isotonic strengthening to protect the damage happens due to hard surface walking or running.
Stretching: include stretching in your exercise regime.
Knee support: if you have pain in walking in hard surface and your knee muscle are not strengthen enough then you can use for knee support in temporary basis.
don't jump & skip on hard surface
Muscle Care: generally muscle get tighten if you walk/run on the hard surface for prolong time. So, once the walking or running session is over try to relax the muscles by shaking it in the anti gravity position. This will relax your muscle as well as increase the peripheral circulation.
Transferring body weight: be careful when your walk and transferring your body weight. Don't transfer your body weight when heel is just touching the ground. Try to transfer your body weight when your leg is vertical.
have a proper warm up session & cooling down session
Contrast Bath: Take contrast bath twice in a week in 2 (hot) :1 (cold) ratio. It will lessen the muscle fatigue, decrease pain, decrease swelling & lactic acid buildup by the exercises.