A person’s gait can determine how their body’s balance and stability are functioning. Since the body has many muscles, ligaments, and tissues in the musculoskeletal system protecting the spine and the vital organs that work together to maintain proper functionality when a person is in motion, however, the body can succumb to numerous issues that can affect a person’s gait performance and cause the upper and lower extremities to develop myofascial trigger points in the muscle fibers. When these issues begin to cause dysfunction in the body, it can lead to many disorders associated with gait disturbances. Today, we will focus on how to approach gait disturbances, how trigger points affect gait performance, and how treatment techniques like MET can help. We provide information about our patients to certified medical providers who offer available therapy techniques, such as MET (muscle energy techniques), for individuals with gait disturbances associated with trigger points that affect how a person walks. We appropriately encourage each patient by referring them to our associated medical providers based on their diagnostic results. We accept that education is a powerful way to ask our providers the most crucial questions at the patient’s point of care. Dr. Alex Jimenez, D.C., assesses this information as an educational service. Disclaimer
Have you been experiencing mobility issues while walking? How about feeling stiffness in your hips or lower body extremities? Or have you experienced headaches or neck pain? Many of these issues are associated with gait disturbances that can affect your ability to walk. When it comes to gait disturbances, studies reveal that underlying systemic disorders or other environmental factors may contribute to their prevalence. Regarding gait disturbances, it is important to know that as the body ages, the musculoskeletal system naturally undergoes changes, and environmental factors can further affect the central nervous system, leading to gait disturbances. Additional studies have reported that gait disorders in the elderly can lead to various issues that affect quality of life. When approaching gait disturbances, many doctors will examine to determine the causes that correlate with the musculoskeletal system. It could be:
Many of these issues can cause the lower half of the body to shift the skeletal joints, leading to tight, stiff muscles and the development of tiny, hard nodules in the muscle fibers, which can further affect gait performance.
So, how can these tiny hard nodules affect gait performance in the body? These small, hard nodules are trigger points and often correlate with overlapping risk profiles associated with musculoskeletal disorders. “Clinical Application of Neuromuscular Techniques,” written by Leon Chaitow, N.D., D.O, and Judith Walker DeLany, L.M.T., mentioned that various additional causes and maintaining factors may be associated with dysfunctional patterns that correlate with trigger point involvement. The book also says that various influences on the muscles can increase trigger point activity, including those induced by acute or chronic soft tissue dysfunction. Research studies reveal that myofascial pain syndrome is a collection of sensory, motor, and autonomic symptoms that correlate with musculoskeletal symptoms like local/referred pain, decreased range of motion, and muscle weakness. When trigger points cause problems in muscle fibers, they can affect a person’s gait and lead to loss of function while walking.
Have you been dealing with balance issues when walking? Do your muscles feel tight in certain areas? Or do constant headaches or neck pain affect your day? The video above explains what can cause balance issues that affect gait performance and lead to symptoms such as headaches and neck pain. Many balance issues are associated with myofascial trigger points affecting your gait performance. Myofascial trigger points can overlap risk profiles and affect muscle fibers throughout the body. Many factors can affect a person’s gait, leading to musculoskeletal disorders associated with trigger points. When musculoskeletal disorders are correlated with myofascial trigger points, it can decrease a person’s health and wellness if not treated early on. Fortunately, some treatments incorporate techniques to reduce muscle and joint pain while alleviating symptoms associated with myofascial trigger points.
When a person is dealing with imbalances affecting their gait performance and having overlapping risk profiles associated with trigger points, treatment techniques can help improve their gait while reducing pain-like symptoms. Many pain specialists use the MET (muscle energy technique) to stretch stiff muscles and help restore mobility. Therapies like chiropractic care use this technique, combined with spinal manipulation, to help realign the body and loosen stiff muscles that affect gait performance. Continuing treatment to regain mobility allows a person to become aware of how they walk and carry themselves without pain.
How a person walks is how their balance and stability function in different environments. A person’s gait performance must maintain the functionality that enables the various muscles, ligaments, and tissues of the musculoskeletal system to move. When environmental factors or musculoskeletal disorders affect different muscles, it can cause overlapping issues that affect gait performance. To that point, it leads to stiffness and pain associated with trigger points. Luckily, techniques like the MET, combined with chiropractic care, can help realign the body, loosen stiff muscles and joints, and restore mobility and improve overall gait performance.
Chaitow, Leon, and Judith Walker DeLany. Clinical Application of Neuromuscular Techniques. Churchill Livingstone, 2002.
Jafri, M Saleet. “Mechanisms of Myofascial Pain.” International Scholarly Research Notices, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2014, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4285362/.
Marshall, Frederick J. “Approach to the Elderly Patient with Gait Disturbance.” Neurology. Clinical Practice, U.S. National Library of Medicine, June 2012, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3613197/.
Pirker, Walter, and Regina Katzenschlager. “Gait Disorders in Adults and the Elderly : A Clinical Guide.” Wiener Klinische Wochenschrift, U.S. National Library of Medicine, Feb. 2017, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5318488/.