How to change walking pattern?

Crucial point is center of mass

Walking represents a movement pattern that sets us apart from other vertebrates.

That’s not to say other vertebrates don’t possess a walking pattern, but it is humans who have relied on walking and endurance running as a means of survival.

Our ancestors relied on walking for hunting and gathering, as it was essential for their survival. This is how humans earned the title of endurance predators. Since strength wasn’t their advantage, they relied on endurance instead.

Endurance reflects efficiency—an economy of movement that requires reciprocity, or the alternating use of the left and right sides of the body. For this alternating pattern to be effective—and for movement to be economical—we must be able to shift the body’s center of mass, located just in front of the sacrum, around the level of S2.

In individuals with the sacrum tilted slightly forward (nutation), this point lies a bit lower than in those whose sacrum tilts backward (counternutation).

Body’s center of mass

Shifting the center of mass is crucial for the successful alternation between the left and right sides of the body.

When, for any reason, this point fails to shift from one side to the other, the walking pattern visibly changes.

Watch the video below and try to imagine the center of mass at the level of the sacrum.