What do I do about my crooked feet?

taso42_DELETED
taso42_DELETED Posts: 3,394 Member
edited September 2024 in Fitness and Exercise
When I see most people walking or standing, their toes point forward. Mine point outward, especially the right foot. This is something that has been bugging me all my life. Maybe I should have worn special shoes as a kid. Or maybe I wore bad shoes that messed me up. Question - does it matter? I can just ignore it and there doesn't seem to be any issue other than that I hate it. I feel self conscious when I'm running, and I feel abnormal when I'm doing squats and the left foot is pointing to 12 o'clock and the right foot points to 2 o'clock. Should I make a conscious effort to point the right foot at 12 o'clock (I often do and it ends up stressing me out a little). Is this something that can be corrected with physical therapy? Should it be corrected?

Replies

  • Heather75
    Heather75 Posts: 3,386 Member
    Accept it as one of the little quirks that makes you unique. I have an extra tube leading from one kidney to my bladder. See? Everyone has something.
  • abyt42
    abyt42 Posts: 1,357 Member
    I've been duck footed as long as I can remember (parents were encouraged to have me wear corrective shoes, but opted against, for which I'm thankful...the shoes were totally ugly, and girls are mean). It used to really bother me (and I wore out the outsides of my shoes really quickly, which resulted in low back strain when I didn't resole my shoes quickly.)

    However, I've found that Iyengar yoga (persnickity alignment yoga) has been surprisingly helpful. Focusing on foot alignment in classtime has helped me keep my feet lined up outside of class without thinking about it. It's taken a couple of months, but I can feel a difference.
  • PegasusDeb
    PegasusDeb Posts: 665 Member
    I would go see a doc to be sure your not putting undo stress if you run. If he says it's ok, run with it! Literally! lol I have foot issues too & when I try to fix it myself I tend to then have pain in my hip & lower back. Don't worry about "what you look like"... as a chick, when I see a guy working out, I ain't lookin' at your feet! :happy:
  • tammyquinnlmt
    tammyquinnlmt Posts: 680 Member
    Do your knees point foward or does the whole leg turn out? I am a massage therapist and that is a common symptom of piriformis syndrome. A good massage can definately correct it.
  • lcoulter23
    lcoulter23 Posts: 567 Member
    my feet go inward when I'm walking. I actually did wear special shoes for about 2 months when I was little, but my parents saw they weren't working and stopped putting them on me. This is the least of my concerns as I have a lot of medical problems that I am working on. It should not be a problem to run with it, I run sometimes with my inward feet.
  • taso42_DELETED
    taso42_DELETED Posts: 3,394 Member
    Do your knees point foward or does the whole leg turn out? I am a massage therapist and that is a common symptom of piriformis syndrome. A good massage can definately correct it.

    In order for my knees to point forward and feel natural, my right foot has to point out. If I force my right foot to point forward, then my right knee points inward when it bends. I can sort of force the whole leg into alignment, but it feels very, very unnatural.

    I've never had a real (professional) massage in my life. Hmm, maybe it's time.
  • robin52077
    robin52077 Posts: 4,383 Member
    my toes point outward too, I can always tell which ones are my footprints in the snow. The right foot is worse. I leave it that way for squats, like a 45 degree angle sometimes, because if I consciously point the toes perfectly forward it hurts my knees, I am not meant to go that way, that's all. :wink:
  • red01angel
    red01angel Posts: 806 Member
    My friend had a similar problem (her toes pointed inward) and was able to treat it by seeing a chiropractor.
  • tammyquinnlmt
    tammyquinnlmt Posts: 680 Member
    Do your knees point foward or does the whole leg turn out? I am a massage therapist and that is a common symptom of piriformis syndrome. A good massage can definately correct it.

    In order for my knees to point forward and feel natural, my right foot has to point out. If I force my right foot to point forward, then my right knee points inward when it bends. I can sort of force the whole leg into alignment, but it feels very, very unnatural.

    I've never had a real (professional) massage in my life. Hmm, maybe it's time.

    could be a weakness in the tibialis anterior muscle as well...that would require a little rehab. (can be done at home, but I don't know how to describe the excercises. But I am not a dr, and am not sure of it..especially without being able to put my hands on you. Find a great therapeutic therapist where you live...you should be pleased with the outcome!
  • jazgal
    jazgal Posts: 122 Member
    my ex's feet pointed outward ... walked like a duck ... never bothered me ... think we all have our little things ... have you ever noticed that the fastest runners are often flat footed, pigeon toed, and bow legged. Read that football coaches can pick their halfbacks just by watching them walk .... :-) .. just one of those useless infos I have tucked away ... lol
  • dengarrett
    dengarrett Posts: 367 Member
    Accept it as one of the little quirks that makes you unique. I have an extra tube leading from one kidney to my bladder. See? Everyone has something.
    Ummmm how did you find that out?
  • robin52077
    robin52077 Posts: 4,383 Member
    Accept it as one of the little quirks that makes you unique. I have an extra tube leading from one kidney to my bladder. See? Everyone has something.
    Ummmm how did you find that out?

    ummm..probably her doctor....:tongue:
    My son has an extra nerve running from his eye to his jaw, his eye doctor found it because when he chewed his eye blinked.
  • dengarrett
    dengarrett Posts: 367 Member
    Accept it as one of the little quirks that makes you unique. I have an extra tube leading from one kidney to my bladder. See? Everyone has something.
    Ummmm how did you find that out?

    ummm..probably her doctor....:tongue:
    My son has an extra nerve running from his eye to his jaw, his eye doctor found it because when he chewed his eye blinked.
    ummmm I guess I suck at humor :smile:
    Thats pretty wild - don't look with your mouth full
  • ablueskier
    ablueskier Posts: 104 Member
    I am opposite of you, pigeon toed on my right foot only. I wore the special forest gump style shoes until I started school and they no longer came big enough, didn't do squat. In Jr. High I started having a lot of knee pain and so I got sent to an orthopedic surgeon. He put me through physical therapy which stretched the muscles and strengthened them but never corrected how I walked. Then he did a mixture of X-rays and an MRI after noticing my bones did not seem normal. Sure enough my tibia is twisted slightly which pulls the muslcles out of whack if they are not strong enough. Also, my hipbsockets are rotated inward more than normal and as a result, my hip will dislocate itself if the muscles are not strong enough. He gave me two options:

    1) Keep the muscles strong enough so they don't pull me out of alignment and then there will be no pain but I will always walk funny and have to avoid high impact.

    2) Get surgery for them to twist my tibia back into normal alignment which would also mean grinding some of the joints so they match up. I would then look normal, not have pain and have a 50/50 shot of being able to walk again.

    Let's say doing strength training for the rest of my life and looking a little funny was a better option than possibly not being able to walk.

    Only a specialist can determine if your problem is muscular or skeletal. Muscular can usually be cured with therapy but skeletal like mine can be a whole different beast. Be happy you can run with out pain because that is something I will never be able to experience.
  • adriayellow11
    adriayellow11 Posts: 140 Member
    (I sent this in a private message to Taso b/c I am very passionate about it and didn't want to get lost in the feed but when I went back and read all the other responses I realized that it would be irresponsible of me to not share what I've learned through my experiences with pilates and physical therapists so I posted it here again. I would like to add that a good physical therapist will treat the whole individual not just the part showcasing symptoms. I find it unlikely that the extremetry alone i.e. foot or below the knee would be the cause for Taso's asymmetry.)

    This can be an indication of asymmetry in the medial glutes, which I'm sure you've heard me talk a lot about on MFP since I really value their importance as a pilates instructor and ex ballerina. Since I can't glute test you, you may be able to yourself with my instructions but a great physical therapist would be able to address this much more accurately. Can you stand with your feet together and unilaterally pick up a leg without a drop in the ipsilateral hip or a hike in the contralateral side? If you add a two inch knee bend in the ipsilateral side does the whole leg stay in line with the inner hip socket or does it all go askew? Usually I would test these without you consciously knowing what compensations I want you to avoid b/c you may be able to disguise them now that you know, but try it by not trying to make it right and just see what happens. My guess is the inability to do it on the side (without compensating) that tends to turn outward without compensation would be more likely and you would need to strengthen glute med. and possibly TFL. Report back :) You are smart so I figure if you need laymen's terms you'll tell me..

    I hope this helps, and of course if you have no pain then don't worry too hard ;)
  • Anidorie
    Anidorie Posts: 291 Member
    i totally understand. i have messed up feet to. i have a extra bone in each foot. it was a problem except my feet looked alittle odd but it got kinda squished in side my feet and it cut of the nerves for my toes so now i can tmove or feel the lower half of my foot. i suggest going to a foot doctor. it was too late for me but maybe not for you? they said that if i had come earlyer then there would have been a simple fix of a little shoe pad. they gave the pad to help keep it from getting worse and it is very comfortable. you should go to a foot doctor.
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