Want to lose weight, burn more calories? Change your walking style, says study

Fitness benefits of walking daily: Retraining how you walk, specifically the angle of your foot, can relieve pain just as effectively as medication, with none of the side effects (Image: Pexels)

Do you worry about the debilitating knee pain or want to stay active without adding stress to your joints? Researches have found that a small tweak in the way you walk, particularly your foot angle, can help relieve osteoarthritis pain, and also protect your joints.

You require no pills, no surgeries, just smarter walking. Moreover, it’s already showing promise in boosting calorie burn and encouraging daily movement.

For many in their 40s and later, osteoarthritis is a daily challenge, an ache in the knees that makes even a short stroll feel like a chore. Most rely on over-the-counter painkillers, or eventually joint replacement surgeries.

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A new study from the University of Utah has offered hope, showing that retraining how you walk, specifically the angle of your foot, can relieve pain just as effectively as medication, with none of the side effects. More surprisingly, it may even help you stay active enough to lose weight naturally.

According to Scott Uhlrich, lead researcher and assistant professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Utah, changing your foot angle while walking significantly reduces stress on the knee.

This biomechanical tweak was customised for each individual using motion-capture technology and pressure-sensitive treadmills.

Over a year-long period, participants who adopted their new walking style not only reported less pain but also showed slower deterioration in knee cartilage. That’s right, walking a little differently helped preserve their knees, no devices or drugs required. And those who stuck with the adjustment found it quickly became second nature.

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5 ways a simple walking shift helps your knees and boosts your health:

• Reduces pain: Adjusting your foot angle by as little as 5–10 degrees inward or outward (depending on your gait) can offload pressure on the most painful part of your knee. Participants in the study reported pain relief on par with strong painkillers – but without the nasty side effects.

• Slows cartilage damage: The knee's cartilage acts like a cushion. As it wears away, pain worsens. The new walking method significantly slowed this wear and tear, potentially delaying the need for surgery like total knee replacement by several years.

• Encourages more walking: Less pain means you’re more likely to walk – and more walking means more calories burned. In fact, walking just 20 minutes a day with your improved gait can help with weight management and cardiovascular health, too.

• Personalised and sustainable: Unlike one-size-fits-all exercises, this approach is tailored to your natural walking style. Once trained, participants kept up their new gait easily for over a year, showing it's sustainable long-term — like riding a bicycle, once you learn it, it sticks.

• Drug-free pain management: For those wary of long-term medication or struggling with side effects, gait retraining offers a completely natural alternative. As one participant put it: “It’s just a part of my body now that will be with me for the rest of my days.”