Tips and tricks
- I S
- Jul 21, 2024
- 2 min read
Body posture for downhill walking to protect the joints:
Take small and rather fast steps, slightly bend forward, keep your knees slightly bent and bounce. You may look a bit unflattering, a bit like a crooked "S", but you shouldn't care. However, try not to bend your shoulders forward and avoid a swan neck - the entire upper body should be perceived as one/on one line.When taking steps, make sure your head stays parallel to the slope (and not your head jumping up and down and forming a wave if you had a pen attached to it). This means that you always walk with bent knees. By doing this, you have already done a lot right. Subjectively, it may initially be more strenuous (because it is often unfamiliar), but it is more energy and joint-friendly in the long run!
If your hip hurts after downhill walking:
...it is usually not a serious problem and not always a bursitis, but simply a lack of stretching of the hip flexors, as well as the quadriceps femoris and the posterior and inner thigh muscles. Look for "hip flexor stretching" and "adductors" on the internet (primarily in German or French). And no, not just 10 seconds. From 30 seconds upwards. It'a working wonders.
If your knees hurt after downhill walking:
Pay attention to good posture, stay in the knees while bouncing, do not fully extend the knee with every step (see above). Also, think that your head should stay on a parallel line to the slope (and not your head jumping up and down and forming a wave).
Tendency to develop blisters:
Break in your shoes properly, not just in the living room (see shoe article)... Dry socks (preferably material that transports moisture well - I prefer good-quality merino wool, there are also thin versions for summer). Anything that is damp promotes blisters and friction points, so you do yourself a lot of good if you have spare socks with you - it really doesn't matter about this lightweight. Two pairs of thin socks on top of each other are good (1 pair of nylon socks works great). In hard shoes, ultra-thin neoprene socks can also help, especially if blisters develop on the heels (e.g., eZeefit). Avoid seams.
