What Your Footsteps Reveal (And Why Your Mobility Still Hurts After Rehab)

This morning, walking outside in the snow, I noticed something simple that always fascinates me:

every person leaves a different trail.

Some footsteps are centered.

Some drift outward.

Some are short on one side and long on the other.

And it reminded me of a client who once came to me saying:

“Hey… I just realized one of my steps is always longer than the other.”

She didn’t know if it mattered.

She didn’t know what it meant.

She didn’t know whether it had anything to do with her hip pain… or her back pain… or why she always felt a little “off” when walking.

But her body was already telling the story.

THE FIRST TEST THAT REVEALED EVERYTHING: ACTIVE VS PASSIVE MOBILITY

When she came in, I had her lie down for an Active Straight Leg Raise test.

First, I lifted her leg (passive mobility).

The range was limited, but manageable.

Then I asked her to lift the leg herself (active mobility).

And suddenly the range was cut in half.

That difference is everything.

Not because of tight muscles.

Not because of weakness.

But because of what the nervous system allows, protects, or blocks.

Passive mobility = what the body could do.

Active mobility = what the body feels safe to do.

Most people only ever get the passive part tested — and that’s where rehab often misses the truth.

WHY TRADITIONAL REHAB OFTEN “IMPROVES MOBILITY”… BUT THE PAIN COMES BACK

In regular rehab:

• A therapist moves you (passive mobility)

• Your tissues stretch

• The range looks better

• Everyone celebrates

But the nervous system hasn’t changed anything.

It hasn’t updated the map.

It hasn’t removed the protective mechanism.

It hasn’t reorganized the pattern behind the limitation.

So when the person goes home:

• The range collapses again

• The pain returns

• Or the body keeps compensating in the same direction

And when they return to therapy, they are told:

“You’re just weak — we need to strengthen this muscle.”

Except… the issue was never strength.

It was permission.

YOUR STEPS IN THE SNOW SHOW WHAT YOUR NERVOUS SYSTEM STILL PROTECTS

When one step is longer than the other, it's not a “habit.”

It’s a system-level decision.

The nervous system is choosing:

• how much load each leg receives

• how much range it allows

• how to distribute weight based on past injuries, fears, tensions, or unresolved patterns

Your footprints become a record of your internal organization.

That’s why when someone tells me,

“I noticed one of my steps is shorter,”

my first thought is:

Your system is showing its story.

THE REAL WORK IS NOT STRETCHING OR STRENGTHENING — IT’S REORGANIZING

The reason my client couldn’t lift her leg actively wasn’t because her muscles were weak.

It’s because her nervous system had a protective contraction around an old pattern.

This is what my work actually addresses:

• clearing the protective reflex

• dissolving the compensations the body is holding

• restoring the real map the body wants to use

• recalibrating the system so active and passive mobility finally match

And when that reorganizes…

everything changes:

The gait evens out.

The hip tension drops.

The lower back stops gripping.

And the person feels like themselves again — in motion.

PASSIVE THERAPY VS NERVOUS-SYSTEM-ORIENTED WORK

This article isn’t about criticizing traditional therapy.

It’s about showing the missing layer:

Passive Therapy

→ The body receives movement, but doesn’t update its internal map.

→ Good for temporary relief, not long-term change.

Nervous-System Reorganization (what I do)

→ The body updates its blueprint.

→ Protection patterns dissolve.

→ Range becomes usable, not theoretical.

→ Changes hold.

This is why my client’s footsteps began to change after our session.

Not because I “fixed” her foot…

but because her system finally felt safe enough to stop protecting.

THE SNOW ALWAYS REVEALS THE TRUTH

Every winter, footsteps remind me:

Your body is speaking long before pain begins.

It shows up in:

• the length of your stride

• the angle of your step

• the collapse or lift of the arch

• the rotation of your knee

• the rhythm of the left vs right

Your footsteps are a mirror of your nervous system.

And when you understand how to reorganize the system behind them…

movement becomes effortless again.

IF YOU RECOGNIZE YOURSELF IN THIS — ONE STEP SHORTER, ONE HIP HEAVIER, ONE SIDE ALWAYS “OFF”…

It’s not age.

It’s not weakness.

It’s not “bad habits.”

It’s your system protecting something it no longer needs to protect.

And that part can be recalibrated.

If you're curious to explore how your footsteps reflect your internal organization, you can start here:

👉 www.andyaudet.com