Greetings, dear readers of this blog! Physical exercises can be simple and complex, effective and not very effective. But there is one that, in addition to being effective and healthy, is also very fun. I'm serious. It instantly lifts your spirits! If you don’t believe me, then try what walking on all fours is! And this exercise came to us from Ancient China, in those days the Chinese believed that it alone saved almost all diseases and was suitable for everyone!
Therefore, such a walk definitely deserves to be devoted to an entire article. And, of course, for it to be used by both old and young. Therefore, in this article I will give you a detailed description of it, tell you about the healing effects and what makes the exercise unique.
Walking on all fours in ancient and modern China
They walked on all fours in Ancient China, it seems like it started during the Han Dynasty, in the second century AD. Then doctors advised their patients, with a variety of ailments, to walk in this way, imitating the way animals move.
Due to such walking, muscle tension is perfectly eliminated, and the muscles themselves are strengthened.
At the same time, the trainee forgets about back pain and his other ailments.
The Chinese still actively walk on all fours today, escaping from illness in this way. They do this collectively, in parks in the morning. Moreover, in the walking groups there are people who are well over 80! An acquaintance of mine recently traveled to China and witnessed such activities.
Reviews
All recommendations in the reviews are based on the fact that physical therapy must be alternated with drug treatment. It is categorically impossible to replace one with another - there will be no effect.
Reviews about Taoist knee walking for weight loss are contradictory, so we came to the following conclusion: it helps maintain the muscles of the thighs and buttocks in good shape, but you can lose weight only if you follow the right diet and adequate physical activity. You must expend more energy than you consume through food. This means, in addition to walking on all fours, you need to run (combine interval running with other types), squat, swim, and walk a lot. In reviews of those who have lost weight, the benefits of walking on their knees for women are mentioned only as an auxiliary exercise in a series of other, more effective ones.
The technique of Chinese Taoist kneeling differs from that of Bubnovsky (his method involves tying bags of ice to the knees), but their goals are the same. We do not recommend making an independent decision about the technique, without consulting a doctor.
To summarize, we emphasize that walking on your knees with arthrosis and arthritis is a really working way to reduce pain and improve the patient’s condition. However, you should remember about moderation and proper technique. This is an excellent health exercise that is suitable for absolutely everyone - children, adults, and the elderly. You can exercise both at home and in the fitness room. The most important thing is to make sure that it is not contraindicated for you.
Benefits of walking on all fours
The beneficial aspects of crawling are many, and the benefits are not limited to the healing effect on the muscles. The complex positive effect affects the entire body. Below I list the main effects:
- the overall bone-articular system is strengthened;
- posture improves, the spine strengthens and gains flexibility;
- the ability to maintain balance increases, coordination of movements improves;
- the load on the spine is minimized;
- blood flow is activated, so headaches, dizziness, and blood pressure problems go away;
- the trainee forgets about pain in the lower back and neck;
- there is an outflow of venous blood from the legs, which is the prevention of varicose veins;
- spasms are removed;
- The respiratory system works more efficiently, and it literally becomes easier to breathe;
- strengthens the abdominal muscles;
- blood circulation is activated in almost all internal organs;
- congestion in the pelvic organs is eliminated, and this works as a prevention of infertility, sexual impotence, and female problems;
- in women’s ovaries their ability to produce such important sex hormones is activated;
- menstruation in women becomes less painful;
- digestive processes are activated;
- pinching of intervertebral nerves is prevented;
- the liver works better and its detoxification qualities are enhanced;
- the symptoms of cellulite are eliminated;
- the condition of the intervertebral discs improves;
- minimizes the risk of degenerative processes in the bone marrow;
- both the color and condition of the skin improves.
Now you know that walking on all fours is as beneficial as possible - for your figure, for your health, and for your general condition! Activity is especially indicated for those who sit and lie more than walk, who move little, or work at a computer, or have problems with the back, joints and muscles.
Recommendations for arthrosis of the knee joint
With gonarthrosis, sports activity is not prohibited. A sedentary lifestyle with such a diagnosis will only do harm. Sports activities are very useful, you just need to know what to do.
What is prohibited for arthrosis of the knee joint:
- run;
- do aerobics;
- sports where heavy lifting is required;
- Squats with arthrosis of the knee joint are strictly prohibited.
The most gentle sport for arthrosis is swimming. Water activities help you relax and train your body. You need to choose special exercises with a trainer so as not to overexert yourself. But, in general, swimming for arthrosis of the knee joint and water aerobics (regular aerobics is prohibited) are an excellent method for preventing knee pain and treating arthrosis.
An exercise bike for arthrosis of the knee joint has a beneficial effect on blood circulation. During the training process, blood will better nourish the knee, which will speed up the healing of the cartilage tissue. You can ride a regular bicycle, but if you have arthrosis of the knee joint, you can use an exercise bike in any weather.
Also, with arthrosis of the knee joint, it is allowed to engage in fitness, avoiding prohibited exercises.
Where does a child get a rash on his elbows? Read here.
How to walk on all fours?
How to do crawling correctly? I’ll tell you in detail, here’s the technique for doing it, according to Bubnovsky:
- First, just stand on all fours as usual.
- Your knees should be positioned exactly shoulder-width apart, and your arms should be straight, and not under your shoulders, but slightly extended forward.
- Keeping your back straight, tense and raise your knees slightly, maximum 3 cm from the surface.
- Next, first place your left hand forward, then your right foot. The next movement is the left leg and right arm.
- In one movement, move minimally, only 3-4 centimeters. At the same time, keep your back straight, maintain your balance, try to distribute your weight optimally across your body, and not lean, for example, on just one hand.
For example, make a circle around the room, or just walk 3-4 meters to start. Now carefully engage the “reverse” and move backwards. But now start moving with your feet. Also, for variety, you can walk left and right in the same way.
Again, for variety, when you master the technique well, you can change the pace, try to move with careful jumps, or even on three limbs. For greater clarity and inspiration, I advise you to watch a video of this difficult, although safe, exercise.
Video on how to walk on all fours correctly:
If you are a beginner and it is not very easy for you to master the activity, train for two or three minutes the first time, do not overexert yourself.
You can include this original walking in your training program. But it is advisable to do the exercise after a good warm-up.
Video: If your knees hurt - Ancient Taoist practice
Remember that there are no universal exercises. Change the technique to suit you, experiment, combine walking with other elements to put more stress on your hips and buttocks (for those who want to lose weight and get in shape). Don't expect stunning results after the first weeks of training: the effect will definitely come if you put in the effort, don't skip classes and follow the basic rules. Share your impressions with other people, give advice and encourage someone to continue exercising. Your personal experience can be very important.
Physical overload
The higher they are, the more pressure on the joints. Physical activity at the limit of possible or without pre-warming the muscles leads to microtrauma of the cartilage and its premature destruction. Some sports are generally prohibited for people with problem joints: weightlifting, running, jumping. Naturally, heavy physical labor is also harmful to joints. If such stress cannot be avoided, it is important to at least take rest breaks (every hour and a half). You also need to be able to lift and carry weights correctly. First you need to squat down with your knees bent, and only then lift the load. This must be done with a straight back. The weight of the load must be distributed equally between the right and left hands.
Nordic walking with poles: an excursion into history
Nordic walking was successfully used in pre-war times, and Finnish skiers can be considered its founders. Athletes were so afraid of losing their shape over the summer that they began to walk in areas without snow and skis, using ski poles when walking. It was then that the effectiveness of such walking was first noticed.
This fact interested sports medicine specialists, and in the 80s the phenomenon of the beneficial effects of such training on the body and its amazing effectiveness were studied. As a result, walking with poles gained recognition first in the Scandinavian countries, and a little later became popular throughout the world.
In Belarus, people learned about such walking relatively recently. But clubs for Nordic walking lovers have already been organized in all major cities.
Recently, Swedish walking with poles has been used not only for general health improvement, but also as a therapeutic and rehabilitation tool. For example, such classes are included in the German rehabilitation program after total leg replacement.
A few more benefits
- Ease and accessibility. Even people with severe knee pain can do it with maximum effect.
- Unpretentiousness. You don't need a lot of space: sometimes even a simple bed will do, and ideally a floor with a rug
- The exercise can be started in any state of health, at any age (even if you are under 90 - this is about you!). The main requirement is daily. Unlike the exercises of traditional practices, which can be repeated twice a week, you need to walk on your knees every day, for at least 5 minutes. As S. Bubnovsky says: “more and more often is better.”
- You will feel a great surge of energy immediately after your first workout - try it after reading the article and see for yourself!
- Women and girls can effectively use this type of walking to lose weight in their legs as an aerobic exercise.
Note! If you are aiming to improve your vision, do the exercise with your eyes closed.
I really hope that the described exercise will help you restore your health and, even at 80, climb the steps to Moses Mountain or Victoria Peak without a cane. Or maybe take a run along the Great Wall of China: who knows, maybe the wise Tao will whisper to you some other secret of longevity?
Physical inactivity
Insufficient physical activity, including prolonged stay in one position - standing or sitting - leads to malnutrition and gradual destruction of articular cartilage. Standing work is prohibited for people with weak joints. But office workers shouldn’t sit too long either. It is optimal to get up and stretch every hour. Regular physical activity is very important for the prevention of arthrosis. After all, there are no blood vessels in the cartilage itself, so it can only receive nutrition from the surrounding tissues. And their blood supply (and nutrition) increases only with movement. The most useful exercises are walking (especially Scandinavian), skiing, and swimming. Ideally, you need at least an hour of physical activity every day.
Article on the topic
Tricks of arthrosis. Is it worth enduring the pain?
Examination of the child at the reception
At a medical consultation, a complete examination of the child is required, with an assessment of the following factors while standing, sitting and lying down:
- Constitutional features of development,
- The presence of markers of possible undifferentiated (most often) connective tissue dysplasia,
- The manifestation of hereditary factors influencing the individual development of the foot, lower extremities,
- Functional anatomical features of the installation of the child’s foot in the phases of supporting and unsupported walking,
- Plantoscopy results,
- Individual characteristics of shoe wear,
- Analysis of submitted medical documents and examinations,
- If there are siblings, a comparative analysis of all the above factors in their family totality is carried out.
To prescribe exercises that develop the tone-strength characteristics of the arch-forming muscles of a child’s foot, a preliminary medical consultation is advisable.
| Rice. 1 | Figure 1 shows in an artificially hypertrophied form two different installations of the foot and knee joint - valgus (a) and varus (b). The reasons for such features are considered by the doctor together with the parents, with a mandatory analysis of all possible causative factors. It is important to emphasize that both forms of installation of the feet and knee joints can be a consequence of the child getting into bed too early. The same picture can be observed as a temporary phenomenon in premature babies, because the bone tissue has not “accumulated” enough calcium hydroxyapatite salts with a sufficient amount of collagen - the bone matrix that gives children’s bones some flexibility and elasticity. |
| Rice. 2 | Figure 2 shows the valgus position of the foot (a) on the supporting surface with the peak points of gravitational loads shifted to the inner part of the forefoot and heel (b) which have their own specific negative consequences for the growing foot and the musculoskeletal system of the child. |
| Rice. 3 | Figure 3 shows the extreme degree of combined longitudinal and transverse flatfoot with complete loss of all arches of the foot and expressed by diffuse gravitational overload of the entire inner part of the foot. Such a foot lacks the ability to absorb shock and adapt to motor loads. The load on the overlying parts of the musculoskeletal system changes, the gait becomes flopping, and pain often occurs in the area of the ligamentous-tendon system of the foot and ankle; The knee joint, connected to the foot in a single functional chain, also suffers. |
| Fig 3.1 | In Fig. Figure 3.1 shows the deformation (flattening) of the arch of the transverse arch of the foot, characteristic of older children and adolescents; The points of peak gravitational loads are shifted and concentrated in the center of the forefoot. This is the site of callus development; gait changes, especially in the phase of supporting walking with the load of the anterior section and separation from the support. Pain syndrome is also formed in this place. |
| Rice. 4 | Rice. 5 | Rice. 6 |
To better understand the features of the functional anatomy of the foot, it is worth considering examples of the so-called tendon stapes of the foot, formed by the intersection of the tendons of the long peroneus muscle and the tibialis posterior muscle - the main statodynamic support of the longitudinal arches of the foot (Fig. 4, 5, 6). It is these muscles that are very weak in children and adolescents with flat feet, and it is these muscles that need to be trained to achieve proper support for the skeletal structure of the foot.
Rice. 7
Figure 7 shows a side view of the foot. So-called passive tightening of the arches of the feet are presented. These are elements of the ligamentous apparatus of the foot, which forms and maintains its spatial configuration and is most often determined by hereditary factors.
Important!
To treat arthrosis of peripheral joints and the spine, it is necessary to take medications from the group of chondroprotectors. They contain substances of natural origin - such as glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate - from which some components of cartilage are synthesized in the body. Chondroprotectors not only nourish and improve metabolic processes in cartilage, but also inhibit its destruction and also reduce pain. However, their therapeutic effect can only be guaranteed by systematic and long-term use, since arthrosis is a chronic disease, which is based on metabolic disorders, so the joints need to be nourished regularly. The analgesic effect is achieved no earlier than 2–3 weeks from the start of taking the drug, and it may take years to compensate for the destruction of cartilage. Therefore, they can be taken in courses (from 3 to 6 months with repeated courses after 3-6 months) or continuously for a number of years.