passive phase

November 29, 2009 - 8:49am | 2 posts

lawrence82

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05/30/2009 - 7:20pm

passive phase

Hello Esther. I have two question's. On pg 183 of 8 steps, step 3 says to relax all muscles in the hip area. When I walk I feel tension throughout both phases of walking so my question is how can I relax my hips during the passive phase? Second in the troubleshooting section you talk about the back heel. What would the purpose be of keeping it on the ground for as long as possible ? Thank you for this book and once again for your time.

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December 1, 2009 - 6:08am | 1 post

Esther Gokhale

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09/10/2008 - 8:36pm

1. You don't want to relax the muscles that keep the hips steady/horizontal (e.g gluteus medius). Just relax the muscles that tether the leg to the hip joint. Test this by doing Step 9 on page 178. For some people (often strong people who have no problem with the propulsion phase of walking) it is really hard to let the leg swing like a pendulum. 2. Keeping the back heel on the ground for an extended period goes together with straightening the back leg and contracting the back glutes. It is, sort of, one action. Also, if you don't leave your weight on your heel, it means you are sending it toward the front of the foot prematurely. Too much weight on the front of the foot can result in a whole bunch of problems including plantar fasciitis, bunions, Morton's neuroma, sesamoid bone fracture, etc. Not what anyone needs!