Walking is one of the best things you can do for your health. But how you walk matters just as much as how often you do it.
Will Harlow, a physiotherapist who specializes in adults over 50, points to three common walking problems and shows exactly how to fix each one.
Problem 1: Your Heels Aren’t Doing Their Job
Tight calf muscles can reduce the power of your heel strike. That moment when your heel hits the ground with each step. When this goes wrong, Harlow told 10Almonds, it can lead to knee pain, trips, and falls.
His fix: test your ankle mobility with something called the knee-to-wall test. Then stretch your calves by bending your front knee while keeping your back leg straight and your heel flat on the floor. He also recommends heel-toe rocking to train your body to strike with the heel first.
Problem 2: Your Arches Are Collapsing
When the inner arch of your foot flattens with each step, it puts extra stress on your feet, ankles, knees, and hips. You may not even notice it is happening.
The solution is a simple standing exercise. Keep your heels and toes on the ground and lift just the inner borders of your feet. Harlow suggests adding a loop band around your calves to make this a little more challenging as you get stronger.
Problem 3: Your Push-Off Is Too Weak
Weak calf muscles mean a weak push-off at the back of each stride. That reduces your forward momentum and makes every step harder than it needs to be.
Harlow recommends forward-lean calf raises: stand facing a wall, lean slightly into it, and rise up on your toes. When that feels easy, try it on one leg at a time. He also suggests a simple mental cue as you walk: just repeat heel, toe with each step to reinforce the right pattern.
These are small changes that can add up to a noticeably smoother, more confident walk. And that is worth a few minutes of practice each day.
