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| So today as I did my three mile walk (in the snow) with the doggies, I looked at my tracks and noticed that my toes turn out considerably. I KNOW they didn't used to do this when I was younger- my feet used to point straight ahead.
My thighs are not heavier, so what causes this?- just age, for some reason? And, should I try to "relearn" to walk so that my toes point straight ahead again? I kind of tried it today, but I felt that I was walking pidgeon-toed and it was awkward.
It seems like a silly question, as though one should just walk "naturally". But then I think, if I did everything "naturallly" i.e. the way my body lazily just wants to, I'd slump my shoulders, overarch my lower back and do a host of other poor-alignment things.
Edited by karmann 2008-02-15 10:05 PM
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| my feet evert when i'm not paying attention to how i'm walking.
but not as much as they used to.
eversion of the feet can be caused by distortion at the ankle, the knee or the hip joint.
however, a foot that tracks straight forward can still have many imbalances.
perhaps think about working to balance your inner and outer leg muscles.
and at the same time, also the front and back leg muscles.
and left and right...
easier said than done, right...
in Ida Rolf's book "Rolfing, the Integration of Human Structure*" she talks about having your weight fall on the big, pointer and middle toe (is it called the pointer toe? like the pointer finger?) while the ring and little toes bear little weight, but serve to lift the edge of the foot during the step.
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this is during movement. standing still has different rules.
i'm always disappointed when i look back at my tracks, and my footprints are all catawompus.
*if i were to hold a teacher training, this book would be required reading.
Edited by monpetitvulcan 2008-02-16 3:29 AM
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 8442
    
| karmann - I noticed the same thing walking on a beach several years ago. I don't think my walk looks as toed-out as the prints showed. I will practice walking with toes straighter from time to time when I am able to watch in a mirror and concentrate, but as a rule I have decided to work on asana and expect my walk to change as the muscles adapt. I have concerns that if I just try to change my walk by making my feet turn in, I will focus on the feet and possibly mess up my knees or ankles. I am already somewhat knock kneed, so I think the change needs to come from above the knee. Turning my feet in would turn my knees in much too far. But that's just me... |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 5098
Location: Somewhere in the Mountains of Western NC | I guess you could try walking in a straight line. I noticed this several years ago when I was out hiking the AT. Of course it was one of those situations where you were in a tight spot and had no choice. I corrected myself and have been more aware ever since.
Now...if only my daughter could get it, in line. She drives me nuts when we walk. We have this dam that we walk on by our local lake. When we are walking she always ends up in my "space"...I'm like WTF are you doing??? I correct her at that moment and she now realizes she has a problem with it. I leave out the WTF part though, that is what I say to myself, 
Roller skating is also good for this too. It's a good motor skill to master. We do this very often. |
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Location: London, England | Hi Karmann,
Walking with you feet turned out is completely normal--n fact, in people where the feet are pointing forwards, investigations are made to discover whether it is due to a neurological condition-so whatever you do, don't train yourself to walk with your feet turned forwards.
Nick |
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Walking
