Forefoot Walking-Facts vs Fads

[@ToddMartinMD]

There is a correction to phase three of this movement, which occurs after the initial swing through. I said that you need to flex the swing leg hip to create the forefoot strike. In actuality, you need to extend the swing leg hip to trigger the forefoot strike. Flexing the swing leg hip will raise the leg as if stepping up on a curb or flight of stairs.

[@7Steels]

Most appreciated. I was alittle concerned about the way I've been walking for 7 decades. Your video has eased my mind.

[@ToddMartinMD]

Glad to help

[@SarveshKumarz]

☠️☠️

[@piapolly1825]

This guy is correct! I suffered all kinds of problems trying to force my body to adapt to forefoot walking. After a year of trying, suffering, and failing. I returned to walking naturally and how my body was built to walk (what Todd is recommending) and I am enjoying walking again effortlessly.

[@ToddMartinMD]

Thank you for sharing your experience.

[@jonesim33]

He did not address the other variables when it comes to walking though. Your footware is important because its hard not to walk heel first when you have all the padding in your shoes. If you were not able to walk in shoes for a year I garuntee that you would 1. Walk slower and take shorter strides 2. You would not land heel first. Not only that you have to examine what surface your walking on. Concrete is not natural. Because of this you have to wear extra padded shoes to walk (especially if you work a job and are expected to move fast) in many cases people have weak feet,ankles,calves etc.. because the ground and the padded shoes they walk in have trained the body to put pressure on the heels and roll. They have been trained not to rely on muscles and mechanics. But to rely on the shoes padding. Go walk in sand. Sand is natural, and can absorb force that cement does not and sand does not give you stability to continue moving easily. This will train muscles you have been taught not to train. There is a reason athletes train in sand. The world we live in only want you to make them money so they build un natural things that we can live within the circumstances of the situations. Walking is not just about mechanics as this is what was focused on in the video. There is more to it. But the video was informative.

[@pablogonzalez2009]

so how and why should i switch to forefoot if my city is 90% concrete?​@jonesim33

[@cheery-hex]

based on recent personal experience, you're right. the last few days I've been walking 15,000 steps/day and suffered a blister and uncomfortable friction on the balls of the feet. even with the blister I went out and practised walking proper heel strike and realized I had been striking midfoot and pushing off the ball of the foot. doing it the right way I noticed an immediate ease and lack of pressure on the ball area. thank you much!

[@myscreen2urs]

I'm seeing so many youtubers advocating forefoot walking and I know from experience that it's not about foot positioning at all. I've had an achilles injury, a knee injury and recently, a sesamoid injury. Every single time my body tells me to load up on the heels in order to limit the load on those joints. What I've noticed is that most of it comes from a healthy pelvic tilt. If you have a forward pelvic tilt, striking the ground with the heel will cause you to hyper extend the knee and that can cause problems in both the knees and the hips. Forefoot walking is a good workaround for preventing and protecting against such issue but this does not deal with the underlying issue and can end up causing foot and ankle problems. Like you said, forefoot running is only natural and efficient through running mechanics. The heel is a fine part of the foot to walk on as long as it's done with a level pelvis. This means activating the glutes. And the knees are kept soft upon striking. Like you said, slamming the heel can cause problems, not only in the foot but also in the knees and hips. Every step needs to be placed with a steady controled descent, which I think is naturally achieved from keeping the glutes actively engaged on every step. It's all in the angle of the pelvis but things like rounded back and shoulders may have a negative impact also.

[@ToddMartinMD]

I totally agree. on most of what you said. The only difference I would say is that much of the control of the pelvic tilt is related to the activation of the lower abs which posterior my rotate the pelvis rather than the glutes, which also posterior lay rotate the pelvis. The difference is that you should not need to have your glutes pushing off the ground when you are standing in a relaxed position. You can check this for yourself by extending either or both of your hips while you are standing in a relaxed position. Either of these actions will move you somewhere, which indicates neither of your glutes are in active extension when you are relaxed.

[@myscreen2urs]

@@ToddMartinMD you're right about the lower abs. When it comes to getting the pelvis to tilt back, both the abs and the glutes fire together. For me, I find it easier to focus on the glutes than the abs. You're also right about the glutes being more passive when standing in a relaxed position especially if your standing with your feet parallel to one another. But when you take a step forward, that changes and that's when you need that extra control as the ground is only supporting one of your legs, the stepping leg needs to be supported through the pelvis as you step, right before your foot strikes the ground. If that makes sense.

[@ToddMartinMD]

@@myscreen2urs That does make sense. During the single leg stance phase, the gluteus medius is needed to maintain the lateral pelvic positioning via its effect on hip abduction. Otherwise your hip will pop out sideways. This is where you will feel the tension in the glutes in single leg stance. That is a stabilizing action, different than a pushing back action with hip extension. I like to make that clear because many of my dance students initially have trouble not pushing off the ground and popping up out of their grounded stance because they are focusing on extending from the glutes on the leg they are moving off of instead of stabilizing with the glueus medius on the leg they are moving onto. I have several videos on hip action with walking you can check out if you have not already seen them.

[@onceblaziken6261]

Very informative. I saved it in my notepad. God bless you 🙏

[@YukariOro]

I have very high arches and my mother raised me around the house barefoot. It just seems to come naturally to me to walk and run on my forefeet. Heel strikes have never come naturally to me, even while running as a teen.

[@ToddMartinMD]

For running, forefoot or midfoot strike are very natural and probably most serios runners run this way. Walking is another story. People who forefoot strike walking are very rare. I almost never see anyone forefoot striking, and I watch for it all the time. If you somehow developed the habit as a child, that body memory will be difficult to change, but it is very unusual.

[@mindsetmotivation9124]

Todd Martin. I love that you keep up high quality content during whats going on. Keep it up

[@ToddMartinMD]

I appreciate that!

[@uzmabukhari2098]

Thank you so much, I have plantar issue and I tried forefoot walking for a few days (after seeing other videos) and got the pain worse. After seeing your video I can peacefully go back to my normal walking style

[@ToddMartinMD]

I am glad you are back to your correct walking style

[@user-wm3rh8ne9k]

I have always been a forefoot walker but since I am an above knee amputee I have a very asymmetrical gait: My prosthetic foot of course comes down on it's heel (it's made that way), while my human foot still does that forefoot strike. Sometimes I feel that my prosthetic leg gets 'stuck' at the end of the swing phase so I have to push extra hard with my human forefoot to re-launch the walking movement and power forward. It feels a bit smoother when I walk at a faster pace but then again, walking fast with a femoral prosthesis w/ a mechanical knee demands a huge amount of energy (and it makes my lower back ache). What to do to make this better? Quite a few physical therapists have tried without success to turn me into a heel striker... Thanks for your answer!

[@ToddMartinMD]

You have a unique situation sonI would not assume you have to walk like everyone else. As to the getting stuck issue, if you shot me a bird video on the email you will find on my website, I could take a look and possibly give my opinion.

[@robertmason9737]

Thank you for the video. Just recently I have been walking on my forefoot. I like it because I feel more muscle I haven'tfelt before working. also, while it may be the placebo effect, I feel my posture bettering. overall, how you walk is up to you, I just like walking the way I do because it feel efficient to me.

[@ToddMartinMD]

Everyone has a choice to do what they want. I try and provide the correct information for people to make an informed choice.

[@tanairigonzalez9793]

How long did it took you to make the change?

[@robertmason9737]

@@tanairigonzalez9793 It was relatively easy for me to make the change. I think this is due to the fact that I run on my forefoot. To be honest, there were many times I reverted back to walking with a heel-to-toe stride, though it was only because I wasn't paying attention. But long story short, It didn't take me very long to get the hang of it.

[@tanairigonzalez9793]

@@robertmason9737 thank you, I am trying to learn to walkj with my forefoot but feel I am doing it wrong, I wish there was a video with tips on how to do it. So far videos I’ve seen only shows seconds of how they do it. I have piriformis syndrome for about 12 years and feel this might help me.

[@noelitonoelito]

@@tanairigonzalez9793 I just started researching forefoot walking and found a great channel about how to do it. The channel is "Grown and Healthy". One awesome video I would highly recommend on their channel is "why this is the best way to land on your foot." I am still not 100% sure this is the best way to walk casually, but for purposeful walking and running to a destination at a distance (not to the kitchen), I am convinced this is the best way to walk. You would require a different shoe though. Hope this helps!

[@HereSaysUsername]

You make a lot of sense with your explanation, but when I walk with a heel-strike my knees start to hurt a lot, that does not happen when using the forefoot. So what might be the issue then?

[@ToddMartinMD]

It means you are not walking correctly. You have the wrong movement pattern. My videos teach the correct pattern so you can walk normally without pain.

[@TimothyS-r3q]

Thanks for clarifying. Other vids mislead me and caused foot problems!

[@ToddMartinMD]

Glad to help!

[@macadam678]

Ibalways thought groen and healthy was correct but your gait looks natural and his doesn't. after applying both techniques after heing a hard heel hitter wallker for 40+ years , i can vouch for yours. I don't walk as fast as i wish, but feels lighter and my upper back and meck pain have gone down by a lot.

[@ToddMartinMD]

Thanks for the comment. I am glad your pain has improved.

[@steezmonster92]

Thank you Dr. Martin. This common sense is so much needed.

[@ToddMartinMD]

Thanks

[@klavassassini]

One thing i see not being addressed here is the role the flexion of the toes, foot, and ankle all play in forefoot walking. Forefoot walking requires muscle activation from ankle on down-not merely just pointing it down. If you activate the foot and the ankle together, creating a slight internal rotation during movement, you bringbin the toes (and the tendons hooked up to the calves) you can forefoot walk seamlessly. That's how you get traction, balance, and good rhythm. Think of ballet dancers (who have very impressive ankle strength!) Practice flexing all 3 simultaneously and you're good to go. If this werent true, then Native American hunters and warriors wouldn't have baffled European explorers with their own forefoot walking.

[@ToddMartinMD]

As people who understand tai chi and internal martial arts, there is no need to try and activate the feet when moving properly. The arms and feet move in response to the movements of the core. They should remain completely relaxed so as to allow them to move naturally. If you are consciously trying to manipulate the movements of your feet and ankle, you will be disconnecting them from coordination with your core. That can cause problems. It is like throwing a punch. The core movement creates the correct positioning of the fist. If you try a separately control the fist movement, you be an only throw it off.

[@shinobiendgame4939]

Can you do a video on "Over-pronation", I've been told that when I walk my feet are outwards.

[@ToddMartinMD]

Hi Shinobi. I have many videos on duck foot walking, if that is your issue. That is one cause of over-pronation. Scroll through the videos on the channel and you will find about half a dozen. If you have an issue with over-pronation without duck feet, then this is the video for you. kzbin.info/www/bejne/rZexgGBonNZ4kM0

[@shinobiendgame4939]

@@ToddMartinMD thanks, I'll check it out.

[@eduardoayala3204]

With forefoot walking it looks like you're about to fall backwards hahha Excellent video. Subscribed. Keep up the good content! Not enough consideration for proper form, engagement and biomechanics in daily activities like this. I have several bad biomechanical habits due to sickness/injury, and these approaches are JUST what I need!

[@ToddMartinMD]

Thank you Eduardo. I am glad you are finding the content informative.

[@krazmokramer]

Well done video. I thought I was crazy because I find it impossible to forefoot walk while walking my dog. The problem is watching too many videos by DCs instead of MDs. IMO DCs need to leave the medicine and dentistry to the MDs and DDS/DMDs. DCs need to keep their focus on the spine. I'm a retired DDS with too much time on his hands. Thanks for this video doctor! Subscribed.

[@ToddMartinMD]

Thanks. You are welcome.

[@Ssssyyyyyyyyyy]

Very good video, thanks doc! I'm interested in your thoughts on feet placement during walking, as well as head movement (from side to side). Some pioneers in movement culture including David Weck and GOATA Locomotives guys all point out that being slightly pigeon toed is a good thing (meaning second toes are parallel and big toes point slightly inside), allows for natural 45° folding angle during walking and also cornering of hips/ heel away motion. (Michael Jordan and other greats all had these motions ingrained, as well as native people and little kids). Any thoughts on that?

[@ToddMartinMD]

Thanks for the comment. I watched David Weck's video on running and walking technique with side bending. I see what he is doing but don't agree in terms of normal walking or running technique. What he refers to as side bending we use in dance all of the time, and it is called sway. There is no sway needed in walking or running. Watch my video on balance exercises and core mobility. When we walk, the engagement of the lower torso on the side of the standing leg naturally shifts the spine and head directly over the standing leg during the process of changing weight. That is who the head and leg become aligned. You don't need to land on it directly, which is not proper walking technique. That would be synonymous with falling onto the standing let, which is not correct. In running with a midfoot strike, the natural engagement of the core will land the weight directly under the foot with no sway or side bend required. Watch videos of marathon runners. There is no side bend. Watch my video on foot strike with running and you will see how this is done with the core. Hope that helps.

[@adelabrouchy]

Very good an complete explanation. I think it is correct.

[@ToddMartinMD]

Thanks

[@mbrochh82]

I fell down the walking rabbit hole recently and I agree that forefoot WALKING is nonsense. Everything you explained here 100% confirms my intuitions when trying to walk forefoot in the past weeks. BUT: aren't all those videos more about running barefoot and wearing zero drop minimalist shoes and about barefoot RUNNING? I even went ahead and searched for Usain Bolt on KZbin and literally the first video shows that he, and almost all his contestants sprint in a way where the heel basically never touches the ground at all. So could it be that for jogging and running, a barefoot and forefoot technique could indeed help to prevent injury and even be more energy efficient?

[@ToddMartinMD]

The videos I am referencing are specifically about walking and state explicitly that walking heel first is incorrect. Running is a completely different story. I have a video called Bow to Run Like Usain Bolt which describes forefoot running technique. Forefoot or midfoot running are perfectly legit, and in sprinting it is necessary at max speed because of the mechanics. There is no relationship between that and forefoot walking

[@somcana]

Also, people need to weight bear vertically to help with bone density. Just utilizing muscles, which is the case forefoot walking just makes life spongy. 🤔

[@ToddMartinMD]

Great point. Bone density is built naturally with the proper impact of walking heel first.

[@somcana]

@@ToddMartinMD I agree. I am registered nurse and osteoporosis is a real disease. The truth is somewhere in between. I think balanced use of the foot, which distributes weight evenly, is the key. Thanks for your video. I also think the biggest imbalance is from our sedentary lifestyle, particularly in the formative years. Sitting at a desk for too long during school and the current pandamic of technology use are the culprits.

[@smesaric]

Hi Dr. Martin, I have a question about walking very quickly with heavy weight on your back (or ruck marching, as seen in the military). Presumably the technique should be essentially the same whether you are on soft or hard ground, and whether you have cushioned or minimalist/barefoot shoes, right? However if I try to walk very quickly with weight on my back on concrete wearing minimalist footwear seems almost impossible to not recieve a large shock everytime my heel lands on the ground, and this cannot possibly be healthy for the body. Would this be a special case where forefoot striking would be applicable for walking, or is my walking technique simply not as good as it should be?

[@ToddMartinMD]

Thanks for the question. It reminds me that I meant to do a video on this. I don’t think this would be an indication for forefoot walking because that increases stress on the ankle and achilles and could cause worse injury. With a very heavy sack it may be an indication to lower the stance with a hip hinge, like in the ready position before doing a squat, but still placing on the heel. Look for a video on this in a couple weeks or sooner.

[@ToddMartinMD]

I just practiced speed walking with a 30 lb weighted ruck sack on using my normal technique. I felt no increase in impact and did it while barefoot. I think my normal technique would apply. I also researched a lot of other videos from military people, and see no deviation from heel strike being the norm. You may be leading forward at the end of the leg swing to put your heel down rather than rotating. Rotating is the proper way and puts no additional impact that I could perceive even with no shoes on.

[@ToddMartinMD]

I just posted the video

[@smesaric]

@@ToddMartinMD Great! I’ll definitely give that a watch I posted a reply to your previous comments but I realize now that it didn’t go through. When doing some more research, I stumbled upon an “inline” walking method (demonstrated in this video, and explained more in depth on that same channel: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nJWqqot_ocunepI ) that some women in Africa apparently use to carry loads up to 20% of their body weight with no extra energy expenditure compared to walking without the weight I originally found it near the bottom of this article: www.google.com/amp/s/www.military.com/military-fitness/running/evolution-of-learning-how-to-run-distance/amp Do you have any thoughts on that method of walking? I can’t tell if it’s similar to what you teach but maybe they are compatible with each other?

[@ToddMartinMD]

I disagree very much with what is written in the description section. We do not need to lean forward to start walking, as Danny Dryer from Chi Walking describes. It makes no sense. One of the fundamental principles of Tai Chi is completely vertical posture at all times. There is no leaning necessary to move forward, and there is no pushing needed either. Also, people do not walk, or teach, having the feet shoulder width apart when walking.

[@johninvirginia7779]

What video deals withe arch of the foot?

[@ToddMartinMD]

I don’t have a video focusing on the arch. I try to focus on things under your conscious control when walking, which is why I focus on your core. Everything else stems from there. Of course, almost all of the dysfunctional walking styles I address put added stress on the arch because they shift the center of gravity over the inside of the foot and knee. Is there a particular question you had? By the way, I shot a response to your Waltz question but found out my mic had cut out so I couldn’t post it. I will try again larer

[@dxfordummies]

So glad I found your channel

[@ToddMartinMD]

Welcome aboard

[@ultimatewarriors1291]

Wait are you still posting

[@ToddMartinMD]

Yes I am still posting

[@Leonhart_93]

It's clear that the forefoot walking is no good, but you didn't explain the details about landing with the whole foot and knees slightly bent at the moment of contact. That one makes so much more sense to me, especially when walking at an accelerated pace. If you imagine yourself walking barefoot like our ancestors did, this is the one that makes most sense by far. You would want to have the most stability and avoid injuries from too much pressure in one spot. And after trying this one for a while, I could see how we are underusing our glutes in the heel strike walking. Which is also my theory of why most people do it: sitting on our glutes too much seems to have the effect of making them less prone to activation.

[@ToddMartinMD]

I discuss midfoot strike in one of the other Forefoot vs Heel Strike Walking videos. Walking midfoot with bent knees is just very inefficient. It is much slower due to the lack of knee extension and requires significantly more energy to travel the same distance because you have no benefit of the heel to toe roll. Our ancestors also walked heel first. That is why the calcaneus is the largest bone in the foot. It is designed to land on. If you walk correctly, there is no significant impact force on the heel, even when walking barefoot. So then the important factor for survival of our ancestors is efficiency. Watch my How to Walk Forefoot Cs Heel Strike in Response to Bob and Brad video and then let me know what you think

[@Leonhart_93]

@@ToddMartinMD It's a matter of pressure distribution, like how to prevent injury from stepping on sharp things by distributing all weight equally. Also, our foot doesn't have a natural roll shape, it's the opposite, an arch. Our shoes allow us to use the heel roll because of their rounded shape, but if you walked barefoot for any significant period of time you would know that it's always a footslap due to the lack of natural roundness. It's obvious that the heel first way is easier, that's why everyone uses it. But that's only as a consequence of underdeveloped glutes and other muscles and helper shoes with thick heels. Grown & Healthy has the concept expertly explained in the video "how to walk"

[@ToddMartinMD]

Please watch my video, How to Walk Forefoot vs Heel Strike in Response to Bob and Brad. It is actually in response to Grown and Healthy, where I explain why each of his points is incorrect and demonstrate why. No one suggests that the foot rolls like a wheel. It absolutely goes through a gradual compression process as the center of gravity is gradually shifted from heel to toe. When people walk correctly with heel placement, there is no foot slap, as suggested by Grown and Healthy. You can clearly see the gradual compression in my slow motion videos, with or without shoes. The foot is not a rigid plank. The presence of flexible arch is what allows the foot to compresses as the weight moves forward. Keep in mind, in an era when one needed to walk across hundreds of miles of Savanna searching for food in Africa, easier vs harder is the difference between life and death. We know from fossil evidence that early man walked heel first. So you can't use shoes as an argument.

[@Leonhart_93]

​@@ToddMartinMD I am not looking into this by chance, but rather by need. In the last year I am suddenly in a position where I need to powerwalk like 5 km at once a few days a week and lately I have developed something of a "runner's knee". Now I came to the conclusion that having my knee fully extended on heel impact is certainly more painful than lifting and bending it slightly on impact. Also, the method of foot rolling you described doesn't work when you walk fast paced, in the same way it wouldn't work when running. It needs to be slow enough to go through the rolling motion, otherwise the impact is too fast and damaging. AND at the same time I developed lower back pain, which I identified to be because of unused glutes. Which makes sense considering that I didn't used my glutes much and actually lift my legs to walk. Now, I call the other method "lazy walking" since it feels like I am dragging my feet close to the ground. I will have to experiment some more to see if it gets fixed after a while of this.

[@leemanwrong]

@@Leonhart_93 Have you looked at kneesovertoesguy's channel? He talks about how some of our leg injuries can be due to weak muscles or muscle imbalances. In your case the runners knee type injury can sometimes be because of a weak tibialis anterior muscle, the muscle on the front of your shin.

[@KittyKat-jv8nq]

Of course this makes so much sense, thank you 🙏

[@ToddMartinMD]

Your are welcome.

[@kath5201]

You wanna talk messed up. I have walked "like an Indian" (im 1/4 prove-able indian.) Always. Im 65. Toe to heel, and in a straight line. (One foot placed directly in front of the other. ) & Silent walking. Then in '85, lost a leg. Now Im left (fake)foot, heel toe. *have to go heel first with a prosthesis, or fall arse over tip..* Right foot toe heel. Mostly a straight line, and silent walking is nearly impossible. My brain is toast.

[@ToddMartinMD]

Tough situation.

[@eyeseewho77]

I just watched 3 different videos, from 3 different creators, and they’re all saying 3 different things 🥴.

[@ToddMartinMD]

That can be frustrating. In this video I address all of the points you may have seen in some of those other videos. You may find this helpful. Forefoot vs Heel Strike Walking (In Response to the Response to Bob and Brad) In Depth

[@diversityofideasnotidentit5213]

you're wearing shoes, that's not the case all the time. try walking barefoot and you notice you land on your forefoot.

[@ToddMartinMD]

Are you kidding me. I have a channel about walking technique. Do you imagine I do not ever walk barefoot? I do all the time. People around the world walk barefoot all the time, and they walk heel first.

[@SasukeUchiha-ps4yn]

I think you didnt practice forefoot walking enough. If your shoe has a heel, it will make forefoot walking difficult, so practice it barefoot on a hard surface. Heel walking on concrete for over 3 hours will defiinitely make your heel pain. If a technique does not work barefooted on a hard surface, then its a bad technique. The shoes are only protecting you from the bad technique. I don't want to be dependant on shoes. Shoes should just be a second layer of protection.

[@ToddMartinMD]

I have forefoot walked plenty and with bare feet. I don't need more practice to know that it isn't the normal way people are designed to walk. No research has ever shown forefoot walking to be better or more natural and it is definitely less efficient. You may want to watch my longer video comparing the two. I barefoot walk all the time in my house, heel first, on a hardwood floor. Heel first does not cause a problem. You also forget, people did not evolve walking on concrete. We evolved walking heel first on natural surfaces like the African savanna, where speed and efficiency were key to survival, and forefoot wouldn't cut it.

[@ultimatewarriors1291]

Nice

[@ToddMartinMD]

Thanks

[@lucagian9801]

top notch