'Toe walking' quick question.

[DNC24]

I've noticed that toe walking is mentioned frequently as an autistic trait.

While I don't do this, I have noticed that when I'm standing still to do something (brushing my teeth, cooking, etc.) I will feel uncomfortable if I stand with my feet flat, and prefer to raise one foot from the toes while standing.

Does this sound like it might be related to toe walking?

 

[GrownupGirl]

I can barely stand on my toes, let alone walk on them. The closest I come to standing on my toes is when I'm sitting and don't *usually* have to worry about falling down.

 

[Outdated]

That's a good question. As a kid I used to break shoes, the soles would break along the ball of the foot - where toes meet foot. This kept happening until I was in my 20s and the government stopped subsidising local shoe manufacturers against imports - Australian brands were rubbish back then because they had no competition.

My mother told me that this happened to me because I was one of the few people that actually walked correctly, using the whole foot and toes to propel myself instead of being flat footed like most people.

For 10 years I lived in the bush and didn't even own a pair of shoes, I hate wearing any now.

 

[Au Naturel]

Toe walking can also result from a short achilles tendon. I had a nephew who was classed medically unfit for military service because of it.

Standing still isn't walking, so I don't think it is related. The toe walking I have heard referred to was in young children, not adults, so that makes it less likely.

It could also indicate a propensity for ballet.

 

[Tom]

Or Flamenco.

 

[SusanLR]

I was always told the correct way to walk was heel strike first then the toes.
In physical therapy I was told to try walking this way and it felt so wrong.
My toes strike down first, followed by the heel.
I've always walked this way and now notice others who do also.

Don't know if you could relate that to toe walking.
It is a different step.

 

[Mr. Stevens]

I've noticed that toe walking is mentioned frequently as an autistic trait.

While I don't do this, I have noticed that when I'm standing still to do something (brushing my teeth, cooking, etc.) I will feel uncomfortable if I stand with my feet flat, and prefer to raise one foot from the toes while standing.

Does this sound like it might be related to toe walking?

I tend to do things like this. I will also have my feet raised, on my tiptoes, while sitting. And toe-walk up stairs.

 

[Au Naturel]

I was always told the correct way to walk was heel strike first then the toes.
In physical therapy I was told to try walking this way and it felt so wrong.
My toes strike down first, followed by the heel.
I've always walked this way and now notice others who do also.

Don't know if you could relate that to toe walking.
It is a different step.

I have heard of this as a fix for plantar fasciitis. It is also a more silent form of walking. A hunter would do this if they were stalking game. I tried doing it since I had the problem, but it felt awkward, and I couldn't keep it up. Ortho shoes fixed the problem instead.

'"Heel and toe" were ground into me in the military. That's how you march, and if every heel in a large unit hits the ground at exactly the same instant, it produces quite a sound.

Most people have their foot strike the middle and outside edge of their heel, roll through, and push off with the ball. Fat in the heel pad and the bend of the arch act as shock absorbers. You can see how a person walks by studying the wear pattern of their shoe.

What Do Wear Patterns Mean for Your Walking Shoes?

The wear patterns on your walking shoes can give you clues as to the way you walk and whether it's time to buy new sneakers.

www.verywellfit.com

People are full of ideas about the correct way to do things that are nonsense. If you get from point A to point B efficiently and your feet don't hurt, you are doing it right regardless of how you do it.

 

[Hypnalis]

@DNC24

A possibility is that you strongly favor putting your weight on one side over the other.

Check this over a few days:

* Weight distribution when you're standing
* Hip rotation and angle (if any) when standing
* Shoulder position (it's common to have one a little higher than the other)
* Whether you "lock" one or both knees when standing, and if so why

(It's not "wrong" to lock your knees, but it's not a good way to stand. It also affects how everything else has to be positioned - potentially in a bad way).

Pay attention to which muscles are "working" as you stand for all of these cases.

After that, apply all of those checks at once when you're brushing your teeth.

Standing with one heel up might be 100% ok, or you might be compensating for a chronic posture error.
If it's the second, the relative strength of the muscles that control your posture will be "off" a bit.

That can be fixed if you "find" the problem. Otherwise you might get chronic muscle pains (e.g. "lower back pain" (back is a weak point - things caused elsewhere can manifest in back muscles).

@Outdated
I think we walk the same way - I still wreck shoes that way

It's because I push off my toes at the end of a step, with toes pressed down, and bodyweight rolling over the ball of my foot. Even modern shoes usually fall apart in a line across my foot 1/2 cm or so behind my toes.

Given that we're evolved to run, and that's the normal foot motion when you're running, it's probably a "more natural" way to walk. Anyway that's what I tell myself every time I buy a pair of expensive shoes

 

[Rodafina]

I will feel uncomfortable if I stand with my feet flat, and prefer to raise one foot from the toes while standing.

Could be a form of stimming. Sounds like what I do while I am brushing my teeth or waiting at the door for someone to answer (a part of my job). I am always doing things with my feet when standing or sitting still just because I am aware of them and it feels good to do funny things with them.

 

[MNAus]

I'm a toe walker, as are the kids. I'm not 100% sure, but I'm pretty sure it's to reduce the amount of sensory information coming into my brain. Grass, carpets, gravel, etc touching my arches is a bit of an sensory overload (I know that sound crazy). Could also been a tension thing. I know I press my tongue against the roof of my mouth most the time, so could be similar.

 

[AuAL]

Most people have their foot strike the middle and outside edge of their heel, roll through, and push off with the ball.

People are full of ideas about the correct way to do things that are nonsense. If you get from point A to point B efficiently and your feet don't hurt, you are doing it right regardless of how you do it.

I read an article about someone (in London, I think) who teaches more efficient walking. It involves understanding walking as a propulsive form of movement. Maintain contact of the sole to aid this - “feel the peel”, i.e. be conscious of the (delayed?) lifting of the heel. Couple this with a deliberately upright stance - lift the chin, pull the shoulders back. (Yes, sounds a lot like marching…which was a way of teaching groups to quite effectively get from A to B.) From my limited experiments it does seem to work - it certainly speeds up my gait and distance.

 

[AuroraBorealis]

I walk on my toes after coming out of the shower, because I don't like the feeling of dust particles clinging to my wet feet. I also start walking on my toes when there's too much dust or little stones (brought in from outside with the shoes) lying around on the floor. I don't really know why, I just hate the feeling of stuff sticking to my feel. For me, starting to walk on my toes whenever I am barefoot is my signal that it's time to vacuum again

 

[marc_101]

I've noticed that toe walking is mentioned frequently as an autistic trait.

While I don't do this, I have noticed that when I'm standing still to do something (brushing my teeth, cooking, etc.) I will feel uncomfortable if I stand with my feet flat, and prefer to raise one foot from the toes while standing.

Does this sound like it might be related to toe walking?

When I read about it, it seemed to be in the context of stimming, like when a person waves hands or gets excited. Not necessarily walking on toes all the time, but maybe. I have a niece with ASD3, non-verbal at 8, who has motor problems and tends to walk on her toes. For sure not a trait that defines autism, and not a trait that is associated with what used to be called Asperger's (aka ASD1).

 

[Neonatal RRT]

I've noticed that toe walking is mentioned frequently as an autistic trait.

While I don't do this, I have noticed that when I'm standing still to do something (brushing my teeth, cooking, etc.) I will feel uncomfortable if I stand with my feet flat, and prefer to raise one foot from the toes while standing.

Does this sound like it might be related to toe walking?

Toe walking in autism has to do with the vestibular system and is most often seen in young children. Beyond, say, age 5 or so, it is often a sign of other issues, such as shortened Achilles tendons. Generally not seen in adults.

Toe Walking and ASD

Toe walking is quite common in children 3 and under but, when seen in children 5 years or older, could be a sign of a larger issue.

autism.org

Now, there is a "toe walking" phenomenon amongst those who where born extremely premature and have spent time in neonatal intensive care units. It is a result of repeated capillary blood draws where the infants are too small for venous blood draws, and are receiving "heel pokes" from small lancets to obtain blood several times a week. Do this for several weeks while the brain is rapidly developing, and the brain develops abnormal neuronal pathways related to this. The young toddler will resist putting their heels on the ground and will develop a form of toe walking.

I have two co-workers, one in her 30's, another in his 60's, both born less than 30 weeks gestation, both still walk on their toes, with a characteristic "bounce" to their gate.

 

[lovely_darlingprettybaby]

I've noticed that toe walking is mentioned frequently as an autistic trait.

While I don't do this, I have noticed that when I'm standing still to do something (brushing my teeth, cooking, etc.) I will feel uncomfortable if I stand with my feet flat, and prefer to raise one foot from the toes while standing.

Does this sound like it might be related to toe walking?

Toe walking...I used to do it and I did not always see a problem with it.
Because it reminds me of ballet.
And I always thought that if you could dance everywhere instead of walk then that is more amazing than just walking everywhere particularly if you love dance.
But it takes a lot of stamina too.
But I used to love leaping over things.

 

[not_an_orange_cat]

I wouldn't consider heel-raises once in a while to be toe-walking. Toe-walking is a specific behavior of walking on the forefoot, so the heel doesn't strike the ground. However, it could relate to seeking or avoiding certain sensory stimuli. This article has a nice summary:

How to Break the Toe Walking Habit in Your Child

What causes sensory toe walking in children and how do you address it? Learn about toe walking sensory strategies, how it relates to sensory processing disorder, and when to be concerned.

yourkidstable.com

As a kid I'd toe-walk all the time. There was a certain sense of "relief" in the change of elevation/horizon lines and ability to have more "shock absorption" via the space under the heel while walking; to me, this felt most comfortable and efficient for a number of reasons. However, I have a musculoskeletal disorder that might also result in toe-walking, and I'm certain I have shorter tendons, as my ankle dorsiflexion is abysmal, and my feet don't naturally stay in a neutral position when not on the ground. I have to push them into it (however, that could be due to toe-walking too much).

I find it interesting that toe walking is so discouraged and treated as not "cosmetic" (a term I actually saw in a hospital pamphlet), and yet women wearing high heels is considered fashionable despite the havoc it wreaks on feet...

 

[Cryptid]

As a child, my feet always hurt. Walking on the balls of my feet relieved most of the pain. However, people would call me a "sneak" or "twinkle-toes" whenever they caught me doing it. Whenever I tried to explain, people would cut me off and tell Me I was faking or imagining it. My dad was especially vocal about this.

When I finally had a life of my own, I asked a doctor what was wrong. He referred me to a podiatrist. She diagnosed me with "Plantar Fascitis" -- inflammation of the fascia in the soles of my feet. Medication, foot baths, massages, and special shoes relieved most of it. I still have it, although not to such a great extent.

No vindication, however. People still didn't want to listen. Or maybe they just never cared.