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405614 tn?1329144114

Gait question from the undiagnosed....

I've heard of foot drop; is there such a thing as foot flop?  :o)  

I went to the Running Store today, on the off-chance that they might have some wonderfully supportive walking shoes that fit me comfortably.  I found some really comfy ones that were way too expensive, but I decided they were worth it.

I noticed that they do a gait analysis of sorts there, in the interest of fitting you with the best possible shoes for how you walk or run.  I was pleasantly surprised to learn that my extra weight hasn't given me flat feet, ha ha.

They video-taped me from behind, from the knee down (with my pants pushed above my knees), while walking on a treadmill.  The person working with me had to call her manager.  I watched the video, and my left foot flops out to the side with every step I take.  Very noticably.  My PT noted on Thursday that I was standing with my left foot turned out, too.

My ms specialist never said anything about it, and she watches me walk up and down the hall.  Could my pants leg have been covering it up, or it's a new thing, or just something that doesn't mean much to her?

I have knee and lower back issues, which might complicate any answers to this question.  I would think that the doc dealing with those issues would have noted it, too, if it wasn't something new.  

BTW, I ended up with shoes more suited to my unique attributes, which were less expensive, but added some supportive insoles, also for my uniqueness.  Not quite as comfy, but my knees and lower back felt better while wearing them in the store and around home.

Any ideas on foot flop?  :o)

Kathy
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333672 tn?1273792789
I have the opposite problem. My feet turn inward when I walk. The right foot often hits the left foot and occasionally it's so bad that I trip myself.

No neuro has ever commented on it--only the physical therapist after she watched me walk. She said my ankles are weak. She pushed in on my feet and I was supposed to push out. It was the weirdest feeling--like I couldn't figure out how to send a signal to my feet to push out. That was the only time I've felt like that in one of those tests where they want you to push back against them.

sho
Helpful - 0
405614 tn?1329144114
My dad was a homebuilder, too; I know the type.  Tough, can take anything, doesn't need a doctor unless he's bleeding profusely or in too much pain to move.  Yup!

OK, did you make Sammy promise, or tell a fib?  Does he have other workers that can do the framing and roofing up there?  Hmmm....

I just got back from my PT, who confirmed that my "foot flop" is from weekness, mostly in the glutes on my left side, but I need to work on both sides, and my core muscles, and so on, and so on.... :o)

It turns out that the muscle spasm I had at my last PT appt. "displaced two ribs posteriorly" or put two ribs a little out of place.  I just had a thorough going-over as she tried to put them back in place through soft-tissue work, slow steady pressure, and then ice and electrical stimulation.  

I think that the other PT that adjusted me so that I ended up with my ribs out of place will be off my list; I'll talk to her (and I have before), but I won't risk her hurting me again.  I'll speak with her about it so she'll maybe learn and not do it with someone else, but I don't want to be a part of her learning curve any more.

The other PT really listens, remembers things, and is very sensitive to the multiple issues with my bod.  I'll stick with her, even if I get seen less often.

Hugs,
Kathy

Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Hi Kathy,

No, Sammy is one of those stubborn men, going to the chiro is about all he does about it.  

His pelvic was twisted and he wasn't suppose to ever get over it, but if he will just keep everything in alignment he does okay.  I made him promise to not climb on houses anymore, which is hard since he's a homebuilder....heeheehee

Hugs
doni
Helpful - 0
405614 tn?1329144114
Oh, poor Sammy!  I really feel for him!  When I was in my early 20s, I fell at work, backwards with my lower back on the metal tine of a powerjack, while lifting a handtruck stacked higher than my head with trays full of bread.  The assistant manager had driven the powerjack behind me while talking to someone, and me having no idea it was there.

I went to Urgent Care, and they said I had a bone bruise, but as I aged it became clear that it was more than a simple bone bruise.

When that pelvis gets out of whack, it makes everything hurt.  Mine is fairly easy to adjust; too easy, actually.  I can have a PT or chiro adjust it, walk out of the office, step off a curb, and it's out of place again.

Has Sammy ever tried a Sacroilliac joint stability belt?  I hear they can really help some people. I don't know if it would help in his case, but he might ask his chiro or another doc.

My lateral femoral cutaneous nerve gets entraped when I use one, so mine sits in the drawer.  I'm actually considering getting the LFCN released, as its a superficial nerve that just causes me pain.  Then can maybe wear my belt again, to try and  keep things from getting all out of whack.

Hugs,

Kathy
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Avatar universal
Kathy,

That's Sammy's problem, his pelvis!!!!!  Silly man fell off a house when he was 18 and broke his pelvis.

Hugs
doni
Helpful - 0
405614 tn?1329144114
Hmmm, the lower back could be a player in this mystery, too.  My SI joint moves more than it should, so my pelvis sometimes gets rotated, which pulls on all sorts of muscles, which can also contribute.   My lumbar spine is not a pretty picture. When my back gets out of whack, it really does.

It helps to hear of someone else that has noticed the same "foot flop"!  I hope my PT can adjust things so it's easier to walk properly and keep thing in proper alignment!

Hugs,

Kathy
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Sounds like a great store.  I can't answer your question about foot flop, except your comment about your back made me think of my hubby.  He has a bad back and has to go the the chiro at least once a month.  When his back gets out of whack, his right foot will do what yours does.  

I can always tell when he has waited too long to go for an adjustment because of the way his foot flops off to the right.  Don't know if that's any help or not.

Hope you're having a good day!!

doni
Helpful - 0
405614 tn?1329144114
Thanks, I'll bet you're right about it being a muscle issue; I have quad atrophy from knee surgery a couple years ago; because of low back pain issues, I could never build my strength back up properly.  

I just started physical therapy again, so maybe some of the exercises caused tightness like you're talking about, and pulled my leg out.  I see my PT today; I'll discuss it with her.  I'll try to pay more attention, too.

By the way, if anyone is interested in the store I mentioned, its called Roadrunner Sports, and the shoe fitting analysis is called Shoe Dog.  roadrunersports.com/shoedog.
It was fun, and interesting, and free (if I wouldn't have been buying shoes anyway)!

Kath
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I believe it is a muscle issure.  I bilaterally turn my feet outword when I walk.  I have been working on it with my PT for the last couple of months.  It happens when you have uneven muscle strength in opposing muscles, one too tight and one too loose. Also muscle weekness in the hips can cause problems with knees and back.

So my problem is week hips, plus outside quad (hip to knee) too tight and inside quad (groin to knee) too week.  So my therapy was built to stretch the tight muscles and strengthen the week.  It has helped but it will take a long time to change and walking correctly takes mental awareness.  If I don't pay attention I know my feet are turning out.  I practically feel like I have to walk pidgeon toed to get them straight but when I look down they are straight.
Helpful - 0
405614 tn?1329144114
Yes, the shoe store set-up was great, quite high-tech.

Who knows about my neuro?  I wouldn't bother her with a question like this, but I thought I'd see if anyone here has any experience of this sort, or knows someone that walked like that because of an orthopedic  or spinal issue.  It never hurts to ask; the wealth of knowledge on this forum never ceases to amaze me.

Kathy
Helpful - 0
572651 tn?1530999357
Kathy, I don't have any ideas about the foot flop because I experience the foot drop variety but the shoe store sounds wonderful.  What a great idea to custom fit feet and walking style to the shoe.  

Your neuro may have noticed but dismissed it as not necessary to deal with right now?  just a guess on my part,
Lulu
Helpful - 0
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