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| Let's Talk About Chimps, Man |
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Our genus Homo sapiens sapiens – the One Who Knows He Knows – is a mere 300,000 years old, which in the grand scheme of things is not unlike a babe in the woods. This relative immaturity combined with the fact that we are the only mammals to exclusively stand and walk on two legs, offers us something of a challenge.
Our transition to upright posture required significant adaptations of our muscles and bones. Most primates can sit and stand, with some able to walk upright for short periods of time. What allows humans to sustain these acts is the primary and secondary curves running through our whole body— most significantly those in the lumbar spine or lower back. Chimpanzees, our closest ancestors among the primates, have a flat lumbar spine and as a result can’t sustain upright posture. It is our lumbar spine’s lordotic or anterior curve that enables our upper body and feet to bear and transfer weight.
There are other important differences between the human skeleton and that of the chimpanzees. Our knuckle-dragging cousins use their hands to help them move forward, and although they can walk on two legs for short distances, their walk doesn’t much resemble ours.
One reason for this is that our thigh bones slope inward from the hip to the knee, allowing our feet to fall directly under our center of gravity. This led us to develop powerful pelvic muscles called gluteal abductors which stabilize our bodies while in mid-stride. Chimps’ thigh bones slope outwards causing them to stand and walk with their feet wide apart. What’s more, their pelvic muscles are much weaker than ours, so that they have to move their entire body from side to side with each step, just to keep their center of gravity over whichever leg is bearing weight. Most importantly, chimps do not place their weight across the whole foot. Rather, they ground exclusively to the outside of the foot.
Human evolution followed many different paths. Our uprightness led to increased acuity of vision and the development of larger brains, which in turn required a wider-ranging diet including more high protein foods. To accommodate these advances, we needed to make our way down from the trees in order to forage over greater distances. In time, we began to do this exclusively on two legs.
Our descent from the treetops brought changes to the structure of our feet and the job that is required of them. The chimp foot requires an opposable “thumb” for grasping tree branches. In humans, the big toe has moved towards the midline and points in the same direction as our other toes. This seismic shift saw the big toe go from being a grasping digit to one which helps us move through space. In fact, when we are walking properly, every step ends with the entire weight of the body on the big toe.
Another evolutionary change in the foot is the move towards weight bearing responsibilities and the formation of the longitudinal arch. While many primates stand largely on their toes or on the ball of the foot, human beings stand on the whole foot. The human foot is a weight-bearing platform, with spring arches that act as shock absorbers.
These transformations were necessary steps towards increased efficiency. As we evolved from quadruped to biped, our new foot became solely responsible for supporting us and moving us forward through space.
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| Parallel Feet |
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The arrangement of the pelvis is the main determinant for the position of the feet and arms. If we release the butt to level the pelvis, the legs align below the hips and the feet begin to find their way home. The proper positioning of the feet allows for both successful weight bearing and the opportunity to give the muscles an occasional break.
It is important not to force the feet into a new parallel position before the rest of the body allows for it. All movement in the body is reciprocal. The ankle corresponds directly with the hip, the knee relates to the lumbar spine, and so forth. If the hips are very tight and limited in movement, other joints must pick up the slack. In walking, movement originates from the hip/psoas complex. If the rotation of the hip is not free, its designated movement will most likely comes from the knee or lumbar spine. This would explain why so many common injuries occur in those areas.
But while the lumbar is designed to have a certain amount of rotation, the knee is strictly a hinge joint that should only flex and extend. Most meniscus injuries, which are the most common knee injury, are classic plant and twist injuries - the knee twists to accommodate the foot and/or hip that has become stuck in its fixed position.
Most people are walking with their feet turned out too much. Watch people walk and observe yourself. If you fall into this pattern think about adjusting your pelvis to allow the feet to fall more towards parallel.
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I'd always assumed my bad posture
was a glitch of biology that I had little control
over. It wasn't until I signed up for the FitzGordon
walking program that I realized there were steps
I could take to reprogram the way I carry myself.
Jonathan's a great teacher, and he offered an
intense focus on anatomy that made intuitive
sense to me. For the first time in my life,
I actually paid attention to the way I walked
and stood, and I feel like it's made a world
of difference. I'm a still a work-in-progress,
but I finally know what I have to do - Kerrie |
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