Walking - Variants of Walking

Variants of Walking

While not strictly bipedal, several primarily bipedal human gaits (where the long bones of the arms support at most a small fraction of the body's weight) are generally regarded as variants of walking. These include:

• Hand walking; an unusual form of locomotion, in which the walker moves primarily using their hands.
• Walking on crutches (with a variety of possible gaits);
• Walking with one or two walking stick(s) or trekking poles (reducing the load on one or both legs, or supplementing the body's normal balancing mechanisms by also pushing against the ground through at least one arm that holds a long object);
• Walking while holding on to a walker, a framework to aid with balance; and
• Scrambling, using the arms (and hands or some other extension to the arms) not just as a backup to normal balance, but, as when walking on talus, to achieve states of balance that would be impossible or unstable when supported solely by the legs.
• Nordic walking, walking with ski poles in both hands, this form of walking simultaneously mobilises all motor organs and hence produces a greater cardio vascular workout than most walking styles.