I am glad you found the information helpful

I am very happy to hear that.

Very glad to have you as a new subscriber Pia.

Fossil evidence shows that even prehistoric humans walked heel toe. I have found zero evidence that any pre-modern society typically walked forefoot first. I have also seen no evidence that aboriginal societies walk forefoot first. Please share any evidence you have.

​@WarSawUprizing

I have walked on cement and all types of different terrain with bare feet. No issues at all. The heel has a thick fat pad between the skin and the calcaneus which evolved over millions of years. The heel is not pure bone. There is more soft tissue between the skin and bone on the heel than there is on the metatarsals. Regarding heat, why would there be a difference in the skin reaction to heat on the heel vs the balls. Walking on hot concrete anyhow has nothing to do with evolution since there was no concrete before. If it is really hot, people may run to get somewhere less hot. Running can naturally be on the forefoot or midfoot because it is more efficient for running, not walking.

@@ToddMartinMD sir i am flat feet and i cant stand for hours or take long walk.it feels light electric shock running through my feet,but i will try your method on walking on heels

Thank you Peter for the comment

Stride length naturally shortens when walking barefoot, assuming you know how to walk. There is very little stress on the heel and legs when walking with a proper heel strike while barefoot. Having some impact is normal and healthy and is what helps maintain strong bones. People who don't walk as much are going to be more prone to osteoporosis. The idea that it is better to walk forefoot first is pure speculation with no evidence behind it. The purpose of walking is to get somewhere efficiently, not to build muscle. You could just as easily walk heel first with your knee bent to build more muscle because you have to work harder walking with flexed knees, whether you are walking forefoot first or heel first. That isn't an argument in favor of forefoot walking.

@@ToddMartinMD I'm just saying when you walk with your weight centered on the side of your foot, rather than the heel, you have better posture, balance and less stress on joints and bones. the point I want to make is that wearing modern day footwear and heel striking is bad for your feet and body. These shoes constrain your feet, limiting foot flexibility and ankle mobility, the evidence is that millions of people have debilitating foot conditions and horrible posture, if heel striking is the best then why are so many people experiencing foot issues? plantar fasciitis has plagued this culture, and this condition comes from heel striking hard surfaces repeatedly. The problem is padded shoes absorb some of the shock so you dont notice the stress its causing. there is a thick muscle on the side of the feet, but the heel is basically pure bone. it's better to have your weight centered on the side of the foot where the biggest muscles are, and you want all those muscles to flex and grow, but with those shoes you completely stifle the functions of the foot, which is way so many people have chronic foot pain. when you put your weight on the heel its all centered on one sharp point, but when its on the side of the foot the weight spreads throughout the muscles in the foot which gives you better posture and balance. You say the "purpose" of walking is just to get somewhere, but thats not true. walking can help facilitate miraculous transformations of the mind and body. the desire to wander and explore is encoded in our dna but we have denied ourselves this. walking reduces body fat and strengthens fascia, ligaments, tendons and every muscle in the body (when done correctly). Walking is not about building big muscles; its more about developing and strengthening our muscles, and keeping the joints lubricated. there is nothing conclusive about the subject, but clearly heel striking is not the best method otherwise people would have perfect feet. the best walking method should strengthen the whole mind/body, with maximum efficiency and minimal effort. walking should never hurt or cause pain otherwise its a bad method. when I was a heel striker I had horrible foot pain, bad posture and I became fatigued significantly faster than I do with a more refined gait and foot placement. Im merely stating that the common walking method is wrong, but people will not be quick to change because it requires conscious effort, and you have to undo all the bad habits picked up while wearing heavy clunky shoes. many doctors will not accept this because that means they have to change their perspective, and once someone is set in their ways it becomes very difficult for them to break out of it, even if their habits are debilitating or causing harm. The evidence is clear, that the most widely accepted is not aways the best or most efficient (unfortunately).

@@ho11owbone Your comment is a bit long to give a full response. I have videos fully explaining why heel striking is the correct method. I will just make a few points. 1. The footwear that many people wear can be problematic and makes falling into poor walking techniques more likely by masking the impact. But the answer isn't forefoot strike, it is walking correctly with a heel strike. 2. Everyone that I here commenting as a champion of forefoot walking was previously having problems with heel striking. That simply means they, and you, were doing it incorrectly so are not able to judge what proper heel striking is. 3. The calcaneus is the largest and most dense bone in the foot and also has a thick fat pad underneath it evolved as a cushion. That is not an accident. 4. The 5th metatarsal on the outside of the foot is the smallest and most vulnerable of the 5 metatarsals and more prone to stress injuries, so not the ideal place to center your weight. 5. When we walk correctly, we don't center the weight on the heel. The heel contacts and then the foot immediately rolls forward to a position where the weight should be equally distributed between the heel, first metatarsal head, and fifth metatarsal head. That is proper weight distribution and when standing, that is where the weight should be, not on the outside of the foot. 6. Millions of people have problems because they do not heel strike correctly. They push and crash while leaning forward, they have anterior pelvic tilts which makes the weight land improperly, they have duck feet and roll the weight onto the inside of the foot, collapsing the arch and stressing the inside of the knee and foot. There are numerous walking technique mistakes that people make that lead to pain and have nothing to do with the heel strike itself. 7. People walk barefoot with heel strike all over the world with no problems at all. Many people live into their 90s with no joint issues or pain because they walk correctly, using a heel strike. My goal is to help more people do the same. It's a bit of hubris to go from having a lot of problems with your personal walking style to thinking you know better than every person in the world now and throughout past history, as well as all medical literature on how to walk properly.

Glad you found the channel.

I’m glad you enjoyed it.

Thanks. I am glad you found the video helpful. I think minimalist shoes are helpful for a lot of people.

Practicing the correct mechanics should help and make the barefoot walking comfortable.

Thanks for your commend James.

Thanks

I am glad you found what you needed.

Glad you enjoyed it. I agree that foot strike will vary on different terrain or slopes. I did do a video about walking on uneven ground.

I am sorry to hear about your fall. Working on the way you walk can definitely help with reducing the risk and the fear of falling. I am glad you have been enjoying the videos.

My pleasure. You can fix plantar fasciitis long term by fixing the way you walk, but that doesn’t mean changing to forefoot walking.

That is more than plausible. I think we all experience that when we walk on uneven or irregular surfaces, we vary our stepping patterns a lot. Like if we are hiking up a bunch or rocks, or foot placement will vary depending on what we are stepping on. I walk forefoot exclusively when dancing tango. That is different than a discussion of how we are designed to walk on a normal, flat surface for the purpose of general locomotion. That is by far what we spend the most time doing, and it needs to be efficient and low impact. When I describe proper walking technique, that is what I am referring to. The fossil record shows that is heel contact. That is why the calcaneus is so big and dense relative to the other bones in the foot, which are quite fragile.

@@ToddMartinMD I'm reading that too much loading in the forefoot can often lead to many injuries and deformities (bunions, neuromas, metatarsia?, plantar fasciatis..etc) . I've learn to stretch my calves to spend more time in the midstand and shorten the heel off. I have been exploring my gait and have thought that perhaps shortening the gait allows for spending less time loading the forefoot... perhaps not as energy efficient because we need to take more steps but could saveguard against forefoot problems? I am starting to develop tailors bunion so I want to be careful not to accelerate the deformity . I have thought to perhaps limit my walking as exercise and do other forms of exercise.. you know walking is so efficient that we hardly burn many calories..so I think for exercise.. walking seems "inefficient" because it is too easy for the body.. perhaps walking in sand might be better.. I don't know. Is there a way to reverse tailor's bunion? i hear that it is due to fascia being too stretched and I don't believe it can be tightened back.. can it? I also wonder about the use of orthotics to not load the forefoot.. yet allowing the foot muscles to atrophy. I will look at your videos to see if you have covered this. thanks for your reply

Many people around the world, and probably most people in poor countries wear no more than sandals, and even in countries where many people never wear shoes their whole lives, they still heel strike when walking. It is the natural and most efficient way to walk. Running is a different story, where midfoot and forefoot are very natural. It is true that a majority of people in modern countries wear poor fitting shoes, but that is unconnected to the idea that forefoot is a normal way to walk for basic locomotion, outside of specific circumstances where it makes sense.

There are situations where placing on the forefoot can be helpful, but not for basic walking in most normal situations.

I agree. I prefer the flattest shoe possible.

Do you have other videos about the foot placement and walking?

Glad to hear it!

Here is some bingewatching material for your. kzfaq.info/sun/PLF2v-baAV4mANOJKUkCfDFadIVdJYuXYt

@@ToddMartinMD thanks! I shall check it out :)

I would check out some of my walking technique exercise videos which give practice tips. I would also try this one. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/oJqTZcJnyqvDmok.html

I am glad you are finding the videos helpful. You could not fully extend the knee by initiating the heel placement earlier. This would transfer more load to the quads and glutes to hold you up, since you will be essentially walking in a partial squat. It may also interfere with the clearance of the swing leg foot since you are bringing it down before it has finished its forward arc. It may reduce the force of impact some, while placing the strain on other areas.

Thank you. I’ll keep practicing and digesting.

For running it is natural. Most competitive sprinters do this naturally. It’s not natural with walking Thanks for the connent

There are roughly zero percent of people that I have ever seen in my practice who use anything other than a heel strike with walking. There are close to zero percent of people I observe walking around in public with anything but a heel strike.. So the statistic is really meaningless. I suspect that there is only an incredibly tiny and statistically meaningless group of people walking around not using a heel strike based on what they have picked up on youtube in recent years. Have you been out and observed any significant percentage of people walking without a heel strike? I would doubt it, with the exception of old men with Parkinson’s disease. They shuffle and don’t use a heel strike and it is considered a very pathological gait. The real question is what percent of people that I see who need knee replacements walk incorrectly. Virtually all of them. But it isn’t the heel strike that is the problem. I have plenty of 90 year old heel strikers without a bit of arthritis. I would bet there are virtually zero old people, without a neurological disease, that are not heel strikers.

​@@ToddMartinMD I just walked for 20 minutes on concrete and my knees felt great because I used forefoot walking, in fact I could feel my quads grabbing my knees and securing them w/ every forefoot step. I could also feel my quads strengthening from forefoot walking and strong quads are critical for good knee health. When I walk heel to toe on concrete for 20 minutes my knees hurt and this is especially noticeable going up stairs after walking heel to toe on concrete for a while. My forefoot step is very subtle w/ my forefoot landing ever so slightly before the heel, but it's working for me. In fact forefoot walking is how everyone walks in a variety of ways, for example walking on ground littered with pebbles / debris, walking upstairs, walking downstairs, etc. so this is not something new. I read where very young children start off walking on their forefoot / toes. Do they resort to heel walking to imitate their parents? I also believe my subtle forefoot walking will not only preserve my knees, but also prepare me better for running as it appears to be strengthening my quads much more so than heel to toe walking does. Not everyone has a good pelvic tilt or natural gait for walking heel to toe. When people are younger they can abuse their cartilage and bones w/ an improper gait and get away with it until they hit 50 or so. Then they realize the errors of their ways, but it's too late, the irreversible damage is done. Perhaps if we were a Spartan society w/ more emphasis on physical fitness, then everyone would be taught how to correctly walk heel to toe w/ out damaging their joints. But even this might not be good enough. We evolved walking on mother earth, not concrete, asphalt and hard floors which jolt our joints much more so than we were meant to absorb unless of course we have that perfect gait where the heel does not get jammed at all when walking heel to toe. I know what my body is telling me so I have to respectfully disagree with your hypothesis that heel to toe walking is the best way for everyone. Maybe it is for people w/ that perfect gait, but most people don't have one. In fact, I hypothesis there would be less knee replacements if more people forefoot walked. I have a good gait for forefoot walking and will get additional strengthening and conditioning benefits from it so I know it's for me...at least for now. We'll see later if there are unforeseen side effects of forefoot walking.

If it works for you, great. That doesn't make it the normal, correct way to walk. If you are using it as an exercise to gain strength, that is fine, but it is a very inefficient form of locomotion, as evidenced by the extra work it takes you to do it compared with heel strike walking. That is why you state it is building your muscles. That means it takes more work to travel the same distance, so not efficient. Walking heel toe correctly is not difficult, and most people do it fine. If people were educated on how to walk correctly from an early age, then everyone would do it fine. The problem is just that it is ignored. It would be much better to focus on teaching everyone early in life the correct, efficient way of walking heel toe rather than making up a new way of walking that will likely lead to other problems for many people. You are of course free to walk however you want. It doesn't make it normal or advisable for the general population who are focused on getting around efficiently all day long, not on building their quads for a 20 minute stretch.

So nice of you

Fixing the way you walk is the best long term fix. None of the standard treatments for plantar fasciitis have proven long term effectiveness because they don’t focus on fixing incorrect walking patterns.

Thank you.

There really isn’t that much varying info. It’s just that youtube promotes the 2 channels that talk about forefoot strike. If you look up any scientific article or book source on human gait, you won’t find any variation. Grown and Helalthy and Bob and Brad are the only sources I have seen advocating forefoot strike, and. on and Brad have admitted they don’t do it in real life. Just look up any image/diagram of the human gait cycle. Running is the only place where forefoot or midfoot is correct. Also, just use your eyes. Watch people walking and you will rarely ever see a healthy person not heel striking.

I am glad you like it

On steep hills, forefoot generally is correct, the same as forefoot is correct when walking down stairs. The mechanics are different than moving forward. When traveling slowly on rough terrain, where you need to first feel the ground, then transfer weight, forefoot can also be beneficial. These are special situations that are not basic walking technique. Walking long distances in an efficient manner would need a heel strike, which is why all military infantry who march long distances, when lives are literally on the line, do it will a heel strike.

@@ToddMartinMD I've actually been hearing minimalist footwear is finally accepted as okay in military marching and even forefoot and midfoot is growing in popularity there. I don't think you have to heel strike at all... But I love your content and disagreement! I want the truth and these hypotheses and antitheses are how we will eventually reach our syntheses. We need more research on pain old WALKING! I think my forefoot strike is more efficient than what has been researched thus far and more study is needed. I'd love to be a guinea pig if anyone wants a weirdo forefoot striker...lol

I think the lack of medical research on the subject of normal gait and how to correct it in otherwise healthy people has led to this. MDs in general ignore this subject entirely and produce no legitimate research on it, probably under the assumption that healthy people would not need to be taught how to walk. Therapists see the all of the people who do have pain related to walking and are basically freewheeling recommendations based on their best guesses. This has been brought out more in recent years due to the book Born to Run which advocates avoiding heel strike in running to prevent injury. Many therapists and chiropractors have just been running with that concept and applying it to walking, even though there is no relationship between the two different types of gait.

That just indicates you did not have good posture and walking technique to begin with. I hope the forefoot walking helps.

Hi. You should be able to dorsiflex a little past the 90 degrees normally. If one of your ankles doesn't flex well enough, practice stretches. You can use the Runners stretch and the towel stretch that are demonstrated in my Plantar Fasciitis video that I just posted. Tight calves could reduce your dorsiflexion ability. Some people have limitations due to previous ankle injuries. That is harder to fix.

@@ToddMartinMD hey i actually just realized i have over pronation on one foot, i had a few knee surgeries with could be the issue, however with over pronation???

@@lokomotive28 My "how to prevent flat feet" video is all about correcting over-pronation. I would check that out.

Thanks for the comment Wenquin. Scraping the foot during the leg swing is a common issue. You want to avoid trying to fix it by altering the movement of your ankle or your knee. This will create an artificial movement that is not correct and will lead to other issues. The problem is probably in the core. You may not be fully engaging your lower abs on the right as you change weight to the right leg. The lower abs and the gluteus medius on the right help to lift the pelvis on the left during the weight change, giving clearance for the swinging foot. I would practice my Balance and Core Stability Exercise Routine, linked below. That can help train the proper muscle movements. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/rbt7Z9Z8ltXVg4E.html

@@ToddMartinMD Thank you! I will start practicing those exercises. I really appreciate all the walking information you share on your channel. They've helped me tremendously. I struggled with patella femoral syndrome on my left knee for a few years and my body subconsciously changed the way I walk to avoid the knee pain. The way I walk now feels unnatural and asymmetrical. I've been trying to relearn the correct way of walking but was having trouble finding relevant resources. Then I found a treasure trove here on your channel! Just want to let you know that your work is helping a lot of people out there and we really appreciate it!

I am so glad you found the channel and your comment motivates me to keep going. Thank you very much.

Virtually no one walks mid foot. You would have to either walk leaning forward or walk with very bent knees.

@@ToddMartinMD me normally.

That is very unusual and definitely not normal, speaking about walking, not running.

Hi Jake. Walking technique and running technique are very different. Forefoot strike isn't recommended by any scientific research. There is also no scientific or anthropological research indicating people ever used forefoot strike for walking prior to modern footwear. You can watch my video on foot strike in running. Forefoot strike for running is very efficient, especially at high speeds. However, research on injuries with running has not yet concluded whether forefoot, midfoot, or heel strike is better. I think people can choose what works for them when running. For walking, heel strike is superior in every way, when done correctly.

Heel trike is normal, so I wouldn’t try too hard.

Hi. Everyone in the world is a heel walker with the exception of some people with neurologic disease and viewers of the Grown and Healthy Channel. I watch people walk constantly and I have not seen a single healthy person walking forefoot first that I can remember. If you want to verify things, just look for any research study or scientific discussion of the nature of foot strike. Don't rely on KZfaq videos to contradict all known scientific knowledge. That is probably not a winning bet. You can look up my debate with Grown and Healthy.

@@ToddMartinMD thank you so much Dr. Martin, for your thoughtful response. I don't allow anything on youtube to prove anything to myself, but did simply want to point that out, the divergent opinions and the alternative information so that perhaps you and the man from that channel can get together and create a youtube video together, in order to present each person's research on this subject. -I think, in this way, you both give your audiences the very best references to said research, while at the same time, present informed, respectful discussion between one another. I think that this aspect is severaly lacking in the KZfaq community and you both could possibly set a healthy example of different sides of this issue for both communities. Thank you!

@@zephyronfire3821 My pleasure. It was a great opportunity to be able to have a respectful debate with him so people could see both perspectives.

When you walk with correct technique, which is heel first as recommended by every text book on walking, it does not cause heel pain. people who walk correctly live to be 100 with no issues with heel pain or arthritis. If you personally have a problem it means you have. not been walking correctly.

I think minimalist shoes can be very helpful, as well as walking barefoot in appropriate situations.

they won't force you!! You have to adjust other wise your feet will tell you are not doing it well and get blisters and sore feet.

I swtiched from your traditional 10mm drop shoe to altra zero drop shoes and they made me start forefoot walking lol.

Of course it takes much more work to walk forefoot first, especially in the calves. So I would expect your calves to get stronger, the same way as would happen if you walk around with flexed knees even if you use a heel strike. You are artificially creating more work for yourself. If the goal is muscle building, I guess that is fine, although it could lead to muscle strain.

@@ToddMartinMD i do see your point there but now that i have been forefoot striking for a couple months it feels extremely unpleasant heel striking. i feel much more impact force being sent up my legs and have less stability. is this just because i have conditioned myself the last couple months or am i actually seeing benefits?

I think what it means is that your normal walking mechanics are incorrect. You shouldn’t feel significant impact when heel striking, regardless of any benefit you feel from forefoot walking.

@@ToddMartinMD i see. well i appreciate your thoughts and advice.

Well played.

The arch of the foot and entire foot is compressible and it compresses from the outside to the inside and back to front as the weight gradually shifts forward. It is not like dropping a block of wood down. Of course it doesn't roll like a ball, but it is a gradual process, not a slap. The smaller bones in the foot are of course more vulnerable. They are less dense and smaller than the heel. Runners also deal with a lot of injuries on those areas. Stress fractures are most common on the metatarsals because they are more vulnerable. Most people spend very little percentage of their day running, or no percentage running. The body is capable of placing the foot in different places in different situations. It is fine to run and place on the forefoot, ,but my point is that heel is much more sturdy than the forefoot. So people arguing that the heel is too vulnerable to place on is crazy. You may want to watch my longer forefoot vs heel strike video (in Response to Bob and Brad) which addresses all of the points in the Grown and Healthy Video.

Thanks for your comment. I would recommend practicing my Walking Code Balance and Core Stability Routine which you can find on my channel. It is designed to help improve coordination between the upper and lower body and improve fluidity of movement.

@@ToddMartinMD thank you i will do! Should I shift from barefoot, with socks and then shoes regulary? Or is with shoes on to primary recommend?

@@ToddMartinMD also, should you land on the inside or outside of your forefoot after you land with the heel?

@@jonas33428 When you walk normally, the heel will place and then the outside of the foot will come down and roll toward the inside.

@@ToddMartinMD Thank you very much! I haven’t thinking about the rolling part that much before, which helps the balance so much. Also to activate and think more of the rearlegs when watching and study your clips n tips. Before I was only thinking of my frontlegs when walking, which made me bend my legs very much and caused pain in ankle, hip and knee. And also stiffness, spasticity and social anxiety by walking. This is really revolutionary and mindfullness for the body. I alwayz thought there was something wrong with me, but technique is really everything! Once again thank you.

Yes those are both possibilities.

You're welcome

The bottom is correct. You can see the controlled lowering of the forefoot on the bottom.

@@ToddMartinMD I see. Thank you for clarify it.

What did I say that is incorrect? Obviously it is important to understand whether walking heel first or forefoot first is correct. Once you establish that heel first is correct, then you can talk about all of the incorrect ways people walk heel first, which I do in other videos.

It means you are a wise person. The only people who don't practice how to walk are people who are not aware, which is most people. That is why so many people walk with duck feet and don't have a clue that it is bad for them, or even that they are doing it.

If you are walking and really step on something sharp, the withdrawal reflex is not going to help you in either case because your center of mass has already passed the point of no return, whether walking heel first or ball first. Once you do step on something sharp, you are much more likely to sever important nerves and blood vessels that travel between the metatarsals and toes if you are landing forefoot. When landing on the heel, you are only piercing skin, a fat pad cushion, and then the very sturdy calcaneus, which is the least likely bone in the foot to break. Aside from that, there are many other more important reasons that humans do not naturally walk forefoot first. Most importantly, heel first is more efficient, needing less energy to travel a particular distance. This was key to human survival during the early stages of humanity. In habitual barefoot walkers, the calluses that would be built on the heel would deflect most sharp objects easily.

@@ToddMartinMD respectfully, if you've put your full weight on your toes if argue you're not walking correctly for the terrain. When hiking through a nearby forest, my sensitivity to the ground my forefoot offers me allows to assess the ground beneath me and adjust my weight with the interia of my arms or simply skip the step like the demonstration of people seemingly walking over another person without actually stepping on them. Walking on a paved path, sure you're correct, but anything other and I'd argue my idea is best. I know you mentioned the footprints of our ancestors show heel first, it must be taken with caution. As you stated in the duckwalk video, you had an abundance of examples so it's reasonable to think our ancestors were walking wrong too.

Naturally I am referring in my comment to the situation people walk in 99 percent of the time. If you are walking through a forest, you are not walking for efficiency and you are going to place your foot variably with each step depending on what you are stepping on. You might place sometimes on the heel and sometimes on the ball. I demonstrate this in my longer video on forefoot vs heel strike walking. That is a completely different subject than the correct way to walk in normal situations. The forest is not normal. As to the footprints, what you are now arguing is that every person from current times to the beginning of humanity had it wrong, since virtually 100 % of people in all cultures walk heel first. You would have to have an incredible argument for why everyone in the world is wrong and you are right. I have yet to hear such an argument. Most forefoot proponents, blame modern footwear for heel striking, so don't go as far as to say our ancestors were walking wrong.

That's interesting. How do you think you disrupted your heel fat pad if you don't land on your heel? I assume you mean you are a forefoot walker and not just a runner. As far as would it still help, heel striking is always the correct way to walk as long as you are doing it correctly, but you may need some therapy or other treatment to help fix the issue. I wonder if not landing on your heel normally allowed the are to atrophy. Weight bearing increases the bone density.

@@ToddMartinMD Thank you for your reply. I had a gait analysis done because of the heel pad atrophy. Forefoot walker and runner. And overpronation. I was doing 15k steps a day and weightlifting... unaware of structural problems until i developed pain. Not sure if it's caused then by overpronation and loading too much. Treatment here is inserts in shoes. I'm trying to research to see if I can do something else that would help

@@filosofadelaspollass I hope you can get it healed.

The lead leg will straighten almost fully, but not locking out in a straight position. The straightening of the swing leg knee is a reflexive action and not one you need to focus on. You should not be attempting to straighten the knee. It will happen naturally if you are moving in a relaxed fashion. The lead knee will flex if you pitch forward when your walk, which is a mistake.

If you place forefoot first then you are forefoot walking. It is also possible to get calluses on the forefoot even if heel striking if you do. it have the proper weight distribution as you roll forward.

Thanks. I am glad you liked the video.

If you are having pain, it would be a good idea to get checked out by a doctor and then physical therapist. There are various posture and walking issues that can contribute to this type of pain. I would recommend practicing the techniques I describe for proper walking on my channel and that could help.

@@ToddMartinMD I had an initial physio appointment but they said from what they see I shouldn't be having problems but idk how thorough that actually checked

I agree. I don't think there would be any purpose in changing unless you feel you are having physical pain

I saw someone doing the bounce gait a couple days ago. He was still heel striking, so not related to forefoot walking. The bounce is created by one on many versions of using the glutes to push instead of using the hip flexors to pull. The push results in a push up onto the toes followed by landing, changing weight, and then pushing up and forward again.

@@ToddMartinMD Thanks for your reply!!! I’m not really sure about what I’m doing wrong. A friend of mine recently commented that I walk with a bounce. I’m always self conscious of my walk because I had problems of walking with heels not completely touching the ground up to my early 20s. I self practiced and now walk in the heel to toe touching manner. I thought I was walking perfectly until he commented . Can I get rid of bounce ?? I turn 35 next week

Heel strike is the normal and best way to walk when walking on flat ground for the purposes of getting around.

I think it is fine to do both, or whatever you want to do. The only thing I have issues with is when people try and teach others that heel striking is unnatural and that they should attempt to stop doing it and start forefoot walking when there is no evidence that this would be beneficial.

Having excessive pronation that results in flat feet is a result of improper walking technique. So your problem was likely not walking heel first, its was that you were doing it incorrectly. There are many ways to walk heel first incorrectly. I prefer to advise people on how to walk correctly than to adopt an inefficient walking technique like forefoot walking that can result in other issues since it is not the natural human gait.

Let me clarify. We have to separate safety and efficiency. When walking, forefoot or midfoot striking has been clearly shown to be less efficient. With running, forefoot or midfoot striking is not less efficient and may be more efficient than heel striking. When referring to forefoot striking in running, I am assuming people are wearing shoes when they do it. This is a sprinting technique used by runners like Usain Bolt, and it is very fast. However, it probably would not be safe in an uncontrolled environment without shoes, where stepping on sharp or hard objects would be more dangerous on the midfoot or forefoot than on the heel. When running in running shoes on a track, and usually with a trained runner, there is no issue. Some people argue that it is not natural to walk heel first. My point in the video is that walking heel first is the natural way to walk and the way most all people have walked throughout human history. I am trying to make the point that the sturdy heel is designed for impact in terms of safety and efficiency. There would be more risk of damage landing on the forefoot or midfoot when walking, and it is less efficient. Therefor there would be no indication to advocate for anyone to walk forefoot or midfoot. When running, you have to balance safety vs efficiency, and you have to differentiate between running barefoot or in shoes that are protective. Running forefoot or midfoot may be more efficient but could be potentially more dangerous if not in shoes. This especially applies to forefoot because the bones get smaller the closer you are to the forefoot. Research on running has not shown definitively which is foot strike is safer and recommends individualizing the approach. This research is always in a controlled environment and not out where you can step on glass or other hard or sharp objects. I hope that clarifies it.

I will add also that most stress fractures from walking and running come on the metatarsals and not the heel, so the midfoot is higher risk when walking or running. The potential increased speed and efficiency of midfoot or forefoot running presents potential arguments in favor of those gaits, but the risk of injury still must be considered.

@@ToddMartinMD Thanks for the detailed answer but in your video you said about running without shoes (barefoot humans): "To avoid these painful sensations and potentially damaging forces, barefoot humans tend to forefoot or midfoot strike when running" This sentence of yours also implies that damage is less during forefoot or midfoot strike when running. That's why it seemed strange to me why it could be more in walking.

Thanks. I went back to review what I said. I may have misspoke about the running regarding forefoot strike. Many barefoot runners are promoting midfoot strike (not necessarily forefoot strike) for barefoot runners because of the shockwave that runs up the entire leg with a running heel strike. They are not concerning themselves with injury from potentially stepping on dangerous objects, where the heel would be a safer bet when either running or walking. I presume barefoot runners are most often running in a controlled environment where they are not apt to step on broken glass. The stress from impact forces in walking are not very significant with either of the three foot strike options. So the potential injury I am referring to with walking is the risk of stepping on something that could cause a penetrating injury to the foot, damaging the nerves or the more fragile metatarsals. My primary point is that heel striking with walking does not cause significant impact when done properly, and being more efficient, is the natural way to walk. The debate is still going on regarding the risk of running and which is best.

I think minimalist footwear is a great idea.

@@ToddMartinMD I got into it simply looking to reduce weight when hiking the Appalachian trail. I'd heard that every unit of weight on your feet feels or fatigues you as much as 3x that weight on your back. Doing research I learned the other benefits. My wife's mexican and trying to convince her to not get "cute" and cheap shoes that'll possibly ruin our daughters toes and arches is tough 😂😭

@@TebTengri Good luck with that,. The wife and daughter I mean. Women's shoes can really ruin your feet if you are trying to be too cute.

Agree. I hate cushioned shoes, especially those with arch support which feels completely unnatural. been using minimalist for several years now, never looked back

Well, anything you practice regularly will become more ingrained in your body memory and require less conscious thought. That won't necessarily mean you are doing it correctly or safely though, so you should be cautious. Trying to switch a gait pattern will increase your risk of injury. If you are trying to do this as some type of exercise, that is fine. If you are switching because you think it is more "correct", I would question your rationale for that.

@@ToddMartinMD thanks for you answer. i already got that is not the most effective and correct way of walking… i am rolling from heel to forefoot as you are teaching…many thanks !!!! diego

toe heel will make you look shorter because the knee will be more flexed.

Thankyou

No, we didn't. There are no walking monkeys. Did you have a point of disagreement?

Makes sense to me.

Heel strike is the normal way to walk.

@@ToddMartinMD even in back pain or disk herniated

If you walk incorrectly and that is the problem causing the back issue, then you need to work on fixing the way you walk. Changing to walking forefoot is not the fix, because walking heel first is not the cause of the problem. There are many issues, like leaning forward, anterior pelvic tilt, or duck feet walking that can result in back pain. The heel placement is not the issue. Forefoot walking is not normal and may cause other problems. It is best to try and fix the real problem.

@@ToddMartinMD perfect dear. Bundle of thanks 💝

Watch the How to Walk Lightly video and that may give you the idea. You are probably my pushing back with hips instead of lifting up.

@@ToddMartinMD thanks.. I have watched the video.. do you happen to know why my heel starts to hurt? What do i have to do to correct that? If I figure that out I will be able to go forward with my barefoot journey.. because this cause my shoes to wear down too fast. Hope you can help me.

not sure what that means in this context.

@@ToddMartinMD it means the native americans would hear you from a great distance, but you wouldn't hear them

@@dawsonbenjamins4060 The Native Americans also walked with heel strike. The vast majority of the time people walk, even in past history, we did not have any need to be sneaking around. However, hard and loud heel strike is bad walking technique. A soft heel strike is correct walking technique.

@@ToddMartinMD whatever you say tatonka, have fun with mediocrity

You are correct. I think it would be very difficult to relearn movement patterns at that age. Sometimes damage that has already been done would make that impossible. My goal is to catch people at a stage where they can prevent problems or relearn proper movement patterns. The average age of my subscribers is 25-40, and that is a good age to begin working on these issues.

This is a very common problem. There are plenty of videos on the channel that can help. You may want to start with the How to Walk in Flow Motion series

Walking barefoot can be great.

At least for me, dear@@ToddMartinMD , it's much better than in shoes. And honestly, I don't care how I go. I go just ... happy ☺ But when I walk in shoes, I feel like I'm going to a funeral... 😔

Are you suggesting the toes and the metatarsals are stronger than the thick calcaneus? That is obviously not true. People break their toes and metatarsals all the time and rarely the heel for a reason. The heel is much harder to break. Having just watched a video on how to break a board with a side kick, they clearly pointed to the heel as the point of contact to break the board. Trained martial artists can of course kick with different parts of their feet because of years of disciplined training to build the strength of the bones. But it just takes quick google search for board breaking to learn the toes are not the always preferred method. As to jumping, you can't land on your heels when you jump because you would have no way to balance yourself landing with your ankles artificially dorsiflexed. The heel will hit the ground and instant after the forefoot. None of this means the forefoot is stronger than the heel. IF you try to land on your toes without letting the heel hit afterwards, your toes will break for sure. This is why ballet dancers need to train for many years to be able to dance on the toes, and their toes become deformed in the process. And either way, the bottom line is that walking heel placement is clearly more efficient, proven by studies or by just using your eyes. The evolution of walking is based on maximal efficiency so people can move long distances with the least effort and optimal speed in order to stay alive. Hence the reason no army in the world walks forefoot first.

@@ToddMartinMD May be you are right. But I know for running its better to land on the ball of the foot first and then the heel. I see Ussain Bolt does that. So I'm wondering whether walking would also be better if we land on ball of foot. It may not be most efficient, but after trying it barefooted, it certainly feels more comfortable.

Running and walking have completely different mechanics. Foot strike in running largely depends on speed. Forefoot strike is very natural at sprinting speeds, which is why Usain Bolt and other sprinters run that way. I have a video on Usain Bolt running technique. More moderate speeds have a more natural midfoot strike. At slow speeds, heel strike is more natural. This all has to do with the specific mechanics, which I describe in several videos. It has no relationship to walking technique, where both feet are on the ground at the point of foot contact. Walking is not better forefoot. If you feel uncomfortable with heel strike, then you may be have an issue with your walking technique that needs work.

@@ToddMartinMD After practicing forefoot walk, i really feel its mechanically better. I started practicing it yesterday, it did not look cool to walk like this in the beginning. But my mind and body is starting to get used to it, I think it looks better. With more practice, I think I will be able to make it look cool. BTW I'm using my feet muscles and calf so much more with forefoot walking. I will keep practicing a lot and maybe i'll post an update after a week or a month.

@@SasukeUchiha-ps4yn Do you have an update?

What’s even worse is they then develop this narcissistic idea that what they are doing is the only way to do it right and everyone else in the world is wrong, including all doctors, therapists, and scientists whose job is to really understand this topic.

@@ToddMartinMD I do wonder what these forefoot enthusiasts on YT walk like when away from the camera..

If you were having knee and hip pain when walking, it is an indication that you were not walking correctly. This is very common. The problem is the technique, not the heel strike. I hope you have found a compensation that helps relieve your pain.

Thanks Matteo

I am explaining to people with normally functioning bodies what normal human gait is.

Because some people may be listening and not watching or watching and not listening. Many viewers live in other countries and have limited English skills and could benefit from the visual and audio at the same time to make sure they understand with less difficulty. The point is to provide information, not to entertain you for every second of the video.

@@ToddMartinMD That’s what subtitles are for, though. And there’s voiceover with no onscreen text whatsoever for much of the rest of the video. So that explanation doesn’t ring true. Effective presentations go for engaging your interest with complementary (rather than fully redundant) visuals and audio, not constant entertainment. Not sure where that came from. Overuse of “entertaining” animations and effects (which thankfully wasn’t the case here) is just as much of a rookie mistake.

Bullet points are usually a safe bet. And pretty ubiquitously used.

@@ToddMartinMD Exactly. Don't listen to this an@l retentive numbnut who thinks he's the whole target audience. I also sometimes prefer to read rather than listen to speed things up a bit and/or skip over parts that I'm not interested in

@@TheSandkastenverbot What are you talking about? It’s basic best practices for a presentation. And Todd’s reply contradicted what he actually did in the video.