I have suffered from disabling calf pain when walking since I was at high school, but only when walking alone. I’m actually very fit. There’s nothing wrong with my legs. So I always thought it was an odd psychological issue.
Recently I’ve noticed that when I’m walking with other people or when walking alone but absorbed in something, I literally walk with a different gait and have no pain. So I wonder if this is my true, unmasked, unconscious gait. It’s like I walk when I’m around the house.
I get really weird if I'm focussed on myself waking, to the point I can stumble like I forgot how!
How about going up the stairs and if you look at where you are standing your automatic motor mechanism falls off its perch and you trip over the stair.
I find this gets worse with age and is a real annoyance as sometimes I'm tryting to take care carrying something delicate up the stairs and if I look I stumble - grrr. Why brain, why?
here's a thought: You may think that the one you're putting on the next step is what you need to focus on lifting higher - true - but which one is lifting your whole body? The one that remains upon the step. Further up the post I've referenced a muscle called soleus - in this context (making sure you have support as necessary - hands etc. to try it safely) - here's what I do - slightly flex the standing leg and lift up the standing heel - so going onto the ball of the foot and the toes. Although counter-intuitive (going onto a smaller base of support can't be safe can it?) This gets the extra height and is more "natural" in reflex activity for initiating the lift of the other leg in a "reciprocal gait". Lots of careful repetitions later and the ankle/foot complex is stronger and most importantly more dynamically stable and the pahses of movement flow together better :-)
here's a thought: You may think that the one you're putting on the next step is what you need to focus on lifting higher - true - but which one is lifting your whole body? The one that remains upon the step. Further up the post I've referenced a muscle called soleus - in this context (making sure you have support as necessary - hands etc. to try it safely) - here's what I do - slightly flex the standing leg and lift up the standing heel - so going onto the ball of the foot and the toes. Although counter-intuitive (going onto a smaller base of support can't be safe can it?) This gets the extra height and is more "natural" in reflex activity for initiating the lift of the other leg in a "reciprocal gait". Lots of careful repetitions later and the ankle/foot complex is stronger and most importantly more dynamically stable and the pahses of movement flow together better :-)
