Walking: The cornerstone of sports physiotherapy

You would be right in thinking you’ve seen more people out and about on the streets in May.

National Walking Month, the brainchild of various health and transportation groups to counter increasingly sedentary lifestyles, is in full swing, inspiring many to lace up their trainers and hit the road.

What some may not know is that walking isn’t just for keeping fit; it also plays a huge role in recovering from an injury.

“Walking promotes movement and improves joint and muscle stiffness. It also improves blood circulation, especially from the lower legs back up to the heart,” explains Ultra Sports Clinic Senior Physiotherapist Tim Braid.

In addition, aside from boosting muscle strength of the legs and core, walking provides an alternative form of exercise when other training might be too painful or unhelpful.

As such, an individual’s mental health and wellbeing tend to take a turn for a better.

However, Tim says it is important to look out for any changes to normal walking patterns.

“This could include pain during a phase of walking that is new or causes you to change your technique. You may also experience a change in balance or coordination.

“There may also be single-leg changes, where one doesn’t feel quite right. It may take the form of a limp or weakness in the leg.”

Generally speaking, poor walking habits can lead to sports injuries over time.

Because the body adapts to habitual walking techniques over a period, it takes the path of least resistance. This can change the way certain structures are loaded and expose an athlete to certain injury types. 

“Even if someone may not notice a problem themselves, friends and relatives might, and it’s best to have it checked out,” Tim adds.

Such cases may require what is known as “gait retraining”. This can also be useful in injury prevention.

“Working with a physiotherapist or medical professional can be helpful in assessing and implementing strategies to improve walking technique.”

Regular walking may inspire people take the “next step” and give jogging a try, Tim says they should not underestimate what this entails.

“For the most part, progressing from walking to running can be a big jump – literally! Running involves jumping and landing forces, so you need to be able to handle these prior to progressing to running.

“Typically, the lower limb and core should be challenged with various strength and conditioning exercises to be certain the body can tolerate this load initially. A good example is single-leg calf raises. There should also be little to no pain.”

The next stage might involve a jumping and landing protocol that includes plyometric training to assess whether the body can tolerate these loads. 

Walking isn’t just movement—it’s medicine. Done right, it strengthens the body, sharpens the mind, and lays the foundation for safe recovery.