I'm James O'Brien and I am a physical therapist who specializes in orthopedic physical therapy. My mission with this Perfecting Movement RU-vid channel is to teach you methods to restore and optimize natural human movement patterns in order to reduce pain, prevent injury and to improve your overall health and wellbeing. In addition, I review products that may help you achieve this goal :)
My hope is that the knowledge I have learned through years of study and clinical experience, you will gain by watching my videos. Enjoy, stay healthy, and stay moving.
Thanks so much for this review. I have the Xero Z-trail, and use it as an every day shoe like you, but was looking for something I could hike in. Great to see a comparison from someone who actually loves and uses these shoes.
I am 5 foot five, or 65 inches. I wear a size small. It fits me nicely, but it is snug. I weigh about 155 pounds of solid, lean muscle mixed with a bit of fat.
I've come across a video online that states we shouldn't be pushing our feet down but actually imagining out feet pulling us forward. Is that correct? Also, I understand that a straight posture is important. But should our backs be straight or still S shaped? I've read that it's better than to have a straight back then keeping the S shape? I personally feel the S shape in my back but I feel that my lower back takes the weight of my upper body too much...
When I made this video and chose its title, I knew it might stir up some controversy. The reality is that different cues work for different people. Some people prefer to think about “pulling off” rather than “pushing off,” as it can help relax the calf muscles. In my experience as a physical therapist, repeated passive stretching of muscles-without engaging them-can lead to microtears, which eventually cause pain and discomfort in the soft tissues. On the other hand, by actively engaging and contracting muscles, we prevent this passive stretching and instead build better strength. I’ve seen this work in various parts of the body. In many cases, strength seems to be the solution to most issues. That said, try pushing off while maintaining a tall posture and see how that feels. Then, try the pull-off method and compare. In reality, the end result should look the same with either method, but see which one feels better for you. Personally, since I have a low arch, which causes more tissue stretch, I prefer the active pushoff method. In either case, though, always focus on proper posture. Proper posture is the foundation for good movement. Regarding posture, you’re absolutely right. We always want to maintain the natural curve of the spine, but we should still aim to stand tall. I have several videos on how to achieve proper posture, which I will post below. To quickly answer the question: good posture is a tall, elongated spine while maintaining the natural S curve. This is the position we should aim for during both walking and standing. Correcting Posture ru-vid.com/group/PLmTgnph6MiE8ADRwFEBsKIYFTYF_kxmdY
That’s a great question. I typically tell people to land with their knee extended and then immediately to bend it. However, I wouldn’t encourage walking with your knees mostly bent. You also don’t want to land with a ‘hard’ impact. I have several videos on proper walking technique. To land more softly, it’s important to walk with a shorter, quicker stride. By landing with your foot closer to your body, you can significantly reduce impact. Be sure to avoid lateral sway. Additionally, many people develop knee pain from walking or running due to weak buttocks muscles. Strengthening the glutes with exercises like clamshells, side-lying leg raises, single-leg bridges, and regular bridges can greatly reduce the risk of knee pain. FYI: running is different, with running, you never want to land with a straight knee. Your knee should always be bent with running.
Oh great! I’m glad it is helping! What it really comes down to is getting the buttocks activate more. If I want to see One muscle group strong, it’s the buttocks. Using the body correctly, through a proper walking technique, helps better engage the buttocks.
Gosh, you know, I’m not sure. I made this review along time ago before the shoe went off the market and then got put back on the market again recently. It was a great shoe though! Glad they put it back on the market.
I hear good stuff about these like passed down 3 generations and it looks like new. Would u go hiking in the summer with this? I’m thinking about using this for hunting as an undershirt especially in winter
Good questions. For the winter as an undershirt, absolutely. On a warm day, I definitely would not go hiking with it on. However, to keep it readily available for the cool evenings, for sure. The only downfall is that the shoulder patches, and the elbow patches are cotton, which means they can retain some water whereas the wool is somewhat repellent. Nevertheless, I still really like the patches because they add to the durability of the sweater. Initially, the cotton seems somewhat treated, and so that it is somewhat water repellent, but overtime, that treatment wears off. I absolutely love the sweater. Hence, the title “world‘s best sweater.”
To my surprise, on the website “AllThatIsMan.org”, it clearly states that manly men do in fact drive big trucks, purchase Topo Athletic footwear, and have multiple PhD’s, but from the University of Connecticut, the state from which the manliest of men are forged and taxes are held high and proud. As a CT man and UConn alum, this makes obvious sense to me….minus the truck part, of which i find somewhat debatable 🧐. It states nothing about the Florida gators. 🐊. I’m so sorry.
Man thanks, I was searching for the proper lifting techniques videos for my work tomorrow, cause you know a human body is capable of anything, and but then again there aren't always a cart or tools available in life
Question, does that pelvic rotation happen automatically as it moves with the leg or is there actually some engagement of the pelvis that’s necessary to do the rotation?
That’s an excellent question. While primarily the buttock muscles are responsible for rotating the pelvis, you don’t need to focus on clenching your glutes to achieve this. Instead, think about rolling over the big toe and allowing the pelvis to naturally rotate. When learning a new movement, our brain needs to conceptualize the action first. For example, when you raise your arm overhead, you consciously think about lifting it. Similarly, to enhance pelvic rotation, focus on the movement itself rather than the muscles involved. The muscles primarily responsible for this movement are the hip external rotators (buttocks)and some core muscles. However, instead of concentrating on these muscles’ engagement, simply think about the movement. Initially, it can be helpful to exaggerate the pelvic rotation to get a better feel for it. Within a few minutes, you can can moderate this exaggeration to walk more normally I hope this clarifies things for you. Thanks for watching and commenting 😊
Whohhhhh there fella! I specifically said no offense….. which essentially gives me the greenlight to say anything, even about moon people, whose pies, moon pies to be specific, are out of this world 🌖 🥧 😋 🕺
I’m not really sure what you mean by sway hips. However, here are some other videos I have which explain other components of proper walking technique. I hope it helps. If you have a more specific question, perhaps I could answer. Learn To Walk Properly ru-vid.com/group/PLmTgnph6MiE_RDdTt_eQLPm5SucLR2L95
would that swaying side to side called Trendelenburg gait ? I have it , only thing I can say what caused it , my weak right hip . I wished you did explain it , from beginning to th end and if you know how to fix the problem , do explain . Thank you . My walking is like a penguin walking side to side or you could call it Trendelenburg gait . I like to say, NO PT in this region will even talk about it. Why I have no clue .
Hey Debbie. Check out the other comment where I replied to you. It should be pretty helpful. Also, if you have a lot of pain, you might actually have some osteoarthritis and may benefit from an x-ray. Regardless, though, whether you were eventually to get a hip replacement or not, it is essential that you get your glutes stronger and stop the bad habit of swaying to the side. Good luck to you, Debbie!
Yes, I have a question that I been searching in the last 4 years. Last 4 years, I have Trendelenburg Gait, (walking with an Waddle Gait / Walking like a Penguin . How do you fix it , when it comes to walking? I have a weak right hip, and at this point I just want to walk Normal. If you could help, I would sure appreciate it. Thank you .
Hi Debbie! Great question. So first off, do your best to try and avoid this bad habit. I would perform the pillow or folded up towel on top of the head exercise to help reduce this habit. See below: Physical therapist explains fastest way to learn proper walking technique ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-zXGVd6IL6aA.html However, it might be physically impossible for you to walk correctly, secondary to some weakness in your hips. I would start with these two exercises below. Just make sure to follow the instructions correctly and that way you shouldn’t develop any low back pain. Two Essential Exercises To Improve Walking And Running; Regardless Of Age. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-79C9-qwaoxs.html Next, and an absolute must, is this clamshell exercise: Clamshell exercise: stop making this common error ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-dKUNfRadsVk.html Lastly, add in the side lying leg raise exercise below: Side lying leg lifts done correctly to isolate the glutes ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-bBH0NetEo4E.html By strengthening up your hips, and making the conscious effort to avoid sway, this can be reduced. In the meanwhile, consider using a cane on the opposite side. That is, if your right side is weak, and that is the side that you are leaning toward, put a cane in your left hand. You want to try and break this habit and if you need a little bit of extra support, like with a cane, it can be helpful for you. For people that sway to both sides, trekking poles can be helpful. In either case, you want to place the cane or the pole on the opposite side that you are swaying toward. Good luck and I hope this helps!
Also, Debbie. I can’t stress enough, the importance of the proper technique for the clamshell and the side-lying leg raise. More often than not, when I see patients or therapists haveing their patients doing the exercise, they are not doing them correctly. It is essential that it is done correctly by keeping the pelvis in a forward position. This is explained nicely in the videos. I understand you have done these in the past, but for sure, check out the videos to ensure you are truly targeting the backside of the hip, which is the buttock, not the front side of the hip, which is the tensor fascia Lata muscle or the anterior gluteus medius. In order to fix this sway, you have to get the buttock working. If you think you have an L5 issue, likely, this is from excessive amounts of extension in the lower back. If you think this might be you, where your lower back is too curved in Ward, consider checking out the posture playlist on this channel. I don’t want to inundate you with videos, I just don’t like the fact that you’re not getting fixed.
@@PerfectingMovement I do lay lifts, calms, other exercises. Two exercises I can't do is unless there's another easier way to do arch the back , because then I am pressing on the knees . I have 2 knees that will need knee replacement . Unless I can do that Arches on the back , and not hurt the knees, then I'll do them . I wished you were my PT , I know you would be huge help . I can see you really want to help people .
As an exercise, I think there is some benefit to clawing the toes into the floor. It will help make the muscles in your feet stronger. I do this from time to time simply as an exercise. However, I don’t try to make this a habit for walking. I simply do it to make my feet tired to give them a workout. Don’t make this a constant habit. This eventually may lead to unwanted tension. Simply do it time to time as an exercise. By the way, all of the above is just my personal opinion. I don’t necessarily have any research to back it up. FYI Arch lifting AKA doming is not the same as toe clawing. With arch shifting, the balls of the feet are driven into the floor as the heel comes forward to lift up the arch of the foot. In my opinion, this is the best way to strengthen up the feet. That, and spending more time, barefoot of course. Regarding the toes and the glutes. I mean, we are all connected. However, I think it is a bit of a stretch to say that clawing the toes would activate the glutes. However, by walking correctly with appropriate pelvic rotation, you would naturally roll over the great toe. This would cause pelvic rotation, allowing for the socket to move on the ball, creating external rotation of the hip joint. This is a function of the glutes, as the glutes are external rotors of the hips. Therefore, if you are rolling over your great toe correctly, you are likely engaging your glutes better. This is the best connection I can give you for how your toes are connected to your glutes; Specifically, the great toe.
When you walk - should you push of pull your feet off the ground. I saw on RU-vid the doctor said it should be the the latter because it activates your help flexors. The RU-vidr said they needed tube activated when walking. Is this correct? Trying it out myself I do feel it unusual to do but I feel like I'm flowing better. What's your take? Secondly, when walking, should you lightly claw with your toes on the floor? Or just the big toe? Keep up the good work!
First off. Thank you for the compliment :-) Secondly, with regards to the activation of the hip flexors versus the push-off with the calves. I’m not really sure. Some argue that the bigger muscles of the hip should be doing bigger amounts of the work. The hip flexors are large muscles. Especially the iliopsoas. Following this logic, you should use the large muscles of the hip versus the smaller calf muscles. However, I think it’s also good to do a bit of push off because this keeps the calves and Achilles strong. In either case, the hip flexors and calves will need to work during walking. Regarding how much you voluntarily activate each, may each pose specific advantages. Honestly, going back-and-forth, and doing a bit of concentration on firing both, would probably be helpful. With that being said, however, with good movement, we should be focusing more on the movement itself, rather than contraction of the muscles. If you look at any high-level athlete, the last thing they are thinking about is contracting a specific muscle group. Although this may be an effective tool to “wake up“ some muscles, in essence, we should be focusing more on the movement… and naturally, all of the muscles should work in proper synchronization. Regarding the glutes, no, they should not stay on at the entire time. The glutes should only be working as you are taking your thigh backwards. When you are swinging the leg forward, they need to be shut off. When the hip flexors work, the glutes need to be shut off. If you haven’t already, please consider checking out my entire playlist on walking below: Learn To Walk Properly ru-vid.com/group/PLmTgnph6MiE_RDdTt_eQLPm5SucLR2L95 Thanks for watching!
Well done, sir. I didn't expect to watch all 7 minutes but you gave good info, things I hadn't even thought of, and bit of fun humor. You may have sold me this jacket. I just gotta go sell some drugs to afford it! Thanks.
Ahhhh that’s great! Love that you appreciate my silly humor. This encourages me! Now just don’t sell too many drugs, you won’t be able to wear it in prison 😳
The jacket is definitely not warm. It’s really just a shell. If you wanna stay warm, you would want to have some type of fluffy down or a sweater underneath it. It definitely works well to prevent you from getting wet though.
The jacket is really just a shell. With a T-shirt on underneath, maybe you will be good to about 50°F or or so. Otherwise, it is not very warm. There really isn’t ANY insulation. However, if you have a light sweater underneath, or a puffy down jacket, that would serve you well for insulation. The jacket does an excellent job of keeping water out and allowing for breathability. Also prevents the wind from getting at you. However, like I said, with the video, if the jacket were a bit more loose fitting, it would be easier to layer up. If you on the fence between sizes, definitely size up, and this would allow you to have better layering.
Oh no! I am so sorry to hear that. That’s not fair. No one should be bullied. Beyond this video, there are other ways to work on trying to reduce your sway. In particular, you want to strengthen up your buttocks. On this channel, in the playlist section, I have several videos showing how to strengthen the buttocks. Strengthening up your buttocks, and by focusing on your walking technique, it should help. Also, be sure to check out the entirety of the walking playlist on this channel. I’m not saying this to get views, I’m saying this, because I think it would help you. Best of luck to you.
The stick trick is great, that way you can’t get it wrong without noticing! I have a herniated disc and whenever I was trying to do pistol squats I would suffer from back pain for about a week until I gave it up completely. Maybe I can give it a second shot and be extra careful. Thank you
Oh yeah. Keeping the stick on your back will prohibit you from rounding. By reducing the rounding or the “butt wink”, this for sure should be safer. Remember, the important thing is quality. You don’t need to go very far down. Glad you liked the video!
Try Bean's Maine Guide Merino Sweater. I wear mine every day all winter. Similar, but has a pocket and a slightly less military vibe, though still has the elbow pads.
So sorry to hear about the stroke, but glad these tips help! Yes, keep trying to walk as normally as possible, and you can retrain your brain. Keep up the good fight!
Im getting these because my daughter can wear them for about 6 months maybe more but then my son will be able to also wear them then my nephew they are great
So first off, make the conscious effort to try and avoid swaying side to side. Consider balancing a pillow on top of your head and walking that way, always maintaining good posture. Also, there are lots of hip strengthening exercises that will strengthen up your buttocks and the side of hip help maintain proper alignment during walking.
I am size small and ordered Small camouflage rain jacket But… when I got it fitted me too tight… so I returned it… And ordered a Medium size… since sometimes I’ll need fleece underneath! Great review dude
Thanks man! For sure, it is great to layer up. It’s a great jacket, but I just wish it was a little bit less snug. I think a medium would be a little too big for me though. Thanks for watching!
Remember, don’t push your hips, side to side. But rather, allow them to rotate. Also, sometimes this happens if your hip flexors are too tight. If you have tight, hip flexors, this could cause an excessive amount of pelvic rotation.
loved this video. shows the correct pelvic rotation that is actually the opposite of what so many teach and contradicts walking pattern diagrams. the idea that the pelvis rotates forward with the forward leg as most diagrams show would imply that the push of leg is actually internally rotated with a posterially rotated pelvis which would actually inhibit the glutes and extensor muscles. No wonder so many people get tired when walking, they are essentially pulling the body forward with the adductors. landing on the forward leg with pelvis rotated posterially will load the glutes and hamstrings resulting in a reflex action as the forward leg becomes the trailing leg while the glutes and quads push through of the big toe shifting the weight over to the other side as the forward foot heels strikes.
The reality is, it’s all about the glutes. Allowing for pelvic rotation, one is better utilizing the glutes. Unlike skating or fast, cross country skiing, where there is actual foot pointing outward through hip external rotation, with walking, the toes should remain pointed forward. Therefore, we harness the external rotation power of the glutes through pelvic rotation. I think this is exactly what you are saying. Thanks for watching and commenting!
Thank you for your reply. Yes exactly, essentially the foot is locked to the ground and the glute powers us forward also pointing and shifting the body to the forward landing leg. essentially the forward landing leg is in internal rotation and posterially rotated ready for the hamstill to load and balance body weight as we land at heel strike. feel so many therapists still have this concept of the hip rotating forward with the forward landing leg which contradicts the glutes as a propulsion muscle. no wonder so many people have weak and poor foot mechanics as they are not using the foot correctly and pushing of the big toe. @@PerfectingMovement
So, I’m definitely not affiliated or sponsored by LLBean in anyway shape or form. This thing is legit Gore-Tex, and so it for sure keeps the water out. Biggest complaint though, though that it should fit looser. I decided to keep the jacket.
You know, I don’t think they sell this color anymore. Now, the current version is more of a gray color. This one in the video was something like a tannish gray. I bought it several years ago.
@@PerfectingMovement just looked at their website, it seems they don't have the color in your video which is a shame. The colors they have are black and the gray you mentioned. If they still had the color you have I'd buy them right now.
Thanks for the review. Is it true to size? I’m in between a medium and a large, so if you wouldn’t mind sharing your size that would be helpful before I order it. Thanks again!
Yes! It does fit true to size. I typically wear a small, but then sometimes I need to wear a medium. In this, I wear a small. However, just mind you it does fit snuggly. Overtime, it does stretch out a bit. I have two now because my wife was sick and tired of me wearing the same one. Now I have the green in addition to the brown. My newer green one definitely feels a bit snugger than my brown one. Long story short, if you are a bit larger in the midsection, you might want to go up. Hope this helps!
I’m 59 and had bilateral hip replacements 2 years ago. My left piriformis was aggravated and has never gotten better. I recently had a PRP injection there and am hoping it helps. I realize I’ve been walking wrong as in doing the “sashay” thing left and right which has probably not been helping.
Oh yes. Walking incorrectly can for sure causes. Nevertheless, strengthening your buttocks using these two videos, as well as one I posted below can be helpful. Furthermore, considered some type of self massage to the area that is tender. You could use a softball or a lacrosse ball and lean into the wall with the ball between you, massaging out the tender places. Lastly, if the core is weak and the spine is out of alignment, that can also be a factor. You should check out the playlist section on this channel and check out the posture and walking videos if you have not already. Hope all this helps! Clamshell exercise: stop making this common error ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-dKUNfRadsVk.html
Yes, being bowlegged, makes it more difficult. However, one should still try their best to avoid the lateral sway. With bowleggedness, often comes some buttock weakness. Buttocks weakness will lead to further sway. I would encourage you to do some form of strengthening for the buttocks. Here are some examples: Side lying leg lifts done correctly to isolate the glutes ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-bBH0NetEo4E.html Two Essential Exercises To Improve Walking And Running; Regardless Of Age. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-79C9-qwaoxs.html Hope this helps!
