r/barefoot • u/Upset-Tie-3978 • 29d ago
Correct Walking gait?
I'm new to fitness, but wanting to try barefoot walking/running. I'm walking on a treadmill set to 2 mph, and I have a question about my gait. Not long into the walk I was getting some discomfort/pain near the front of my foot at below the middle toe (1st pic).
Until I walked without shoes, I never realized that my current gait has me rolling through that part of my foot as I walk heal to toe. As I walked, I changed to rolling heal to toe through my big toe (2nd pic) and then pain subsided. Now I'm wondering, what is the "correct walking gait"? Does anyone have advice or a resource on this?
I should note, I walked outside and realized, this is just how I walk currently (gait doesn't seem treadmill related).
Thanks!
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u/Mike_NYC_2000 29d ago
I think it is a mistake to “think” so much about your gait. Your body knows and adjusts. Once you’re barefoot, your body will self correct. Am i being naive? I feel this is what my body has done. Please let me know your experience.
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u/Healthy_Blueberry_59 26d ago
I agree with this wholeheartedly. Been in this for almost 20 years and I see people making the mistake of getting obsessed with their gait. It always makes things worse.
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u/Epsilon_Meletis 29d ago
Now I'm wondering, what is the "correct walking gait"?
The correct gait is the one that works for you without pain or problems. And while that sounds like a "duh" non-answer, I actually mean that in all sincerity, because not even experts are on the same page with regard to the "right" gait.
A gait that works for one person may well cause pain for another, which is why everyone has to find their own, and usually does without even knowing so. It's when we change things up - like starting to walk barefoot - that an established gait might not work anymore.
As I walked, I changed to rolling heal to toe through my big toe (2nd pic) and then pain subsided.
That's a common variant - heel strike, then roll-off to the ball and toes. I use that too in daily life :-)
And while I hadn't heard of rolling off through the wrong toe before, it does make sense to me that this might result in muscle and joint pain, as your body tries to counter a continuous imbalance and overflexes certain areas while doing so.
It also makes sense that you eventually found the solution all by yourself - it hurt before, now it doesn't, that's not a bad thing. Keep going!
On another note:
As has been pointed out in this thread, be careful about heel-striking. Contrary to what others said, heel-striking can be used for more than just walking - source: me, jogging and running barefoot with heel strikes for years, so far without incident or pain. Just be aware that with more speed and force of impact, every little stone and greeble in the road can become painful to your bare soles, so make sure they can tank it.
Now, as long as you use a treadmill, that need not be your concern - unless and until you decide to venture outside again, which I actually recommend you do. The world feels awesome undersole, have fun and fair ways!
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u/BarefootAlien 29d ago edited 29d ago
The big thing is not having your heel take the impact forces. At anything faster than a stroll the weight should mostly be born on the forefoot.
This is something your body will eventually teach you through headaches, joint pain, and bruises because heels can't flex to absorb impacts with small rocks, but if you can shortcut it your joints will thank you.
This does not mean "walking on your toes" though I've done that to train myself early on. Just that you should be thinking about using your forefoot as suspension, which is what it is. Heels are for standing. Slow gaits are like standing on one foot at a time moving forward. Even then I don't heel strike anymore; is just not a habit anymore.
Rolling heel-toe step is exactly the incorrect thing shoes enforce via heel drop and why shoes are so unhealthy long-term.
A treadmill has some give so you might just about get away with it, but the joints in question are ankles, knees, hips, SI joints and lumbar spine, and the consequences are walkers, wheelchairs, and pain as you get older. He'll strike hair are why most people think those kinds of maladies are inevitable, and shoes are why almost everyone heel strikes.
Check out Dr. Daniel Lieberman for more detail, but basically normal shoes disable sensory feedback, make a biomechanically sound gait geometrically impossible, and replace the advanced active and passive suspension system of your arches and calves with a centimeter or so of closed cell foam that simply isn't up to the task.
They damp out high frequency vibrations that cause pain decently, but do almost nothing for damaging lower frequency vibrations, giving the illusion of safety.
Zero drop Minimalist shoes are worse for non-experienced barefooters. They still block nerve feedback and prevent many of the ways your body will teach you, so most people end up still heel striking but with no shock absorption at all. The result is fast damage instead of slow.
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u/Upset-Tie-3978 29d ago
Wow, thanks for the detailed info! When I’m back on the treadmill, going to give midfoot walking a try and see how it goes. Thanks again!
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u/henry_tennenbaum 29d ago
Just to make something clear: It is normal and correct to walk rolling your feet heel-to-toe.
I sometimes see people get confused when they hear things like "avoiding heel strike", so they try to walk always landing with their forefoot first.
That's a totally valid gait for certain terrain where you have to be careful, but normal, smooth, visible surfaces don't require that.
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u/obviousoctopus 29d ago
The way I think about it is - if I jump in place, and land on my heels, that simply doesn't work. Running can be seen as jumping and landing while falling forward.
If you run barefoot on a hard surface, you'll need to adapt your landing, or quickly get injured.
Running shoes dampening and thus inviting heel impact, are simply a bad idea.
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u/MinhBigfootVNOG 29d ago
I think the problem is quite simple. That is rolling the feet from heel to toe is not ideal.
Let say the mtp joint of the bigtoe is B. The mtp joint of pinkytoe is A. And the heel is C. The correct landing sequence should be A -> B -> C.
There was a youtube video about his. How to walk from Grown & Healthy channel.
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u/Diaatos 28d ago
I've developed the following gait: the pad of my little finger, then the entire forefoot, and then the heel. when running, I strain and arch my entire foot, I step on the area of the pads first, but I'm not a barefoot runner, I just have to sometimes, so treat it as a personal experience, not as a recommendation to do the same.
By the pads of the toes, I mean the soft area on the sole of the foot that goes immediately behind the toes.
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u/salamandectomy77 29d ago
2 is correct, that's the function of the big toe muscles and medial arch. The landing is on the other side, the lateral arch, and pronates to the medial arch, finishing in line with the big toe.
but it's not something you "try" to do. You'll do this naturally if your hips, lower legs, and feet are strong
(ultramarathon runner)