HYDERABAD: Walking is a light physical activity with several health benefits, besides helping us to enhance our social relationships when done in groups. But several people are deprived of this pleasant experience, often due to their medical conditions. It could be a simple knee pain to foot deformities and other health related limitations. There are ways to cope with such limitations and continue to indulge in your favourite pastime of walking.
People with foot and toe deformities endure immense pain and can make walking a traumatic experience. Hallux valgus, claw toes, collapsed arches of the foot, arthritis of the foot joints, and of course fractures of foot bones are not uncommon. In addition conditions like plantar fasciitis, retrocalcaneal bursitis are problems of the soft tissues which can prevent one from even standing. For such conditions, appropriate treatment including surgical corrections may be necessary. In addition, modified or orthopaedic foot wear can help to remedy some of these foot issues. People with stress fractures of heel bones and metatarsals, however need a period of rest to recoup.
Shin splints which are the result of weak and osteoporotic bones in elderly and excessive and un-accustomed exercises in the young, can also dissuade one from walking. These problems can be improved with graduated exercise programme rather than rushing through.Calf cramps, a condition usually resulting from not doing warm up exercises, can be overcome with a gentle stretch and warm up programme before walking. Even for the experienced and regular walkers, this prevents injuries in the long term.
Knee pains are pretty common now days in young as well as the elderly. From early osteo arthritic changes to advanced osteoarthritis changes in the knee joint, there are a few conditions which cause knee pain. In early stages proper knee joint strengthening exercises will improve the stamina of the muscles around the joint which will then help relieve the joint pains while walking. Also there are splints to control the shape of the knee joints which may then help walking. Some people need special foot wear to treat knee pains, which helps to push the knee in to a correct posture. Pain may get relieved by redistribution of the body weight on the knee joint.
The usual excuse for not taking to walking is back pain. Actually, walking is supposed to be a way of treating back pain, but most avoid walking as it worsens their back pain. This is mainly due to weak abdominal muscles and the abdomen sagging forwards putting undue load on the back. The best remedy for this is to strengthen the back and abdominal muscles with exercises, which we know is not going to be easy and won’t happen over the night. Therefore, a back belt or a corset can help solve the problem to begin with. But people experiencing distress due to knee and back pains can opt for walking in water, in a swimming pool with water level not exceeding 4 feet height.
Though exercise is healthy for heart and lungs, patients with heart problem often experience severe discomfort while walking due to breathlessness. But the cure for this problem lies in walking. After taking due medical advice one should start with short distances for a short time and with minimum speed, which can be gradually increased overtime. Mild shortness of breath while walking in fact indicates that we are walking at good speed. In due course this will help controlling several heart and lung ailments.
However, the biggest hindrance for walking is lack of motivation. Though interested to walk, the oft repeated reason is not being able to wake up early and the excuse being unable to sleep till late. I do not advise walking at the expense of precious sleep. But one can instead walk in the evening. The apt remedy for this is walking itself, as it helps to regulate the body metabolism and in due course one can streamline the body clock.
A good walking track, designed and maintained well is important. The track can be divided into different sections to please and arouse our senses! A part of the track should be surrounded by spice plants to let us enjoy a healing aroma, a part of the track should go through a flowery garden to liven up the sight and a part of the track should go under real big trees offering shade and through bushes. Also playing light music through the track will relieve stress of walking if there is any.
Developing suitable walking partners or groups helps to perform pre-walk warm ups and post walk cool down exercises. One more thing I propose as part of physical activity is provision of a rolling garden with grass carpet, where people with discomfort in walking can simply roll from one side to the other or around a ring, which certainly gives some advantages of physical activity, for this group of people.
(The doctor is Senior Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon, Apollo Hospitals, Hyderabad)