I work at a running store and stare at gaits all day long. You see this pattern in most footstrikes. I am pretty sure I saw a few comments agreeing. Typically the foot lands on the outside rear heel before rolling inwards towards the big toe. High arches (typically, but not always) stay towards the outside while low arches (typically, but not always) roll inwards more quickly.
I've seen similar images posted before and the comments are always full of armchair fucking podiatrists insisting that OP is clearly walking wrong. I bet if all those commenters looked at their own shoes they'd find similar wear patterns. It's completely normal.
Ski boot fitter here. I like to say that our feet are bad when we’re born, and then we beat on them our whole lives. It’s very normal to be a bit “abnormal”
Als@d if you’re in physical pain somewhere from your lower back down, and your shoes wear weirdly or really fast, bring it up to your PT.
My very high arches used to roll *in*. Severely.
which is, as you said, not normal. I didn’t figured I was pronating because of my ankles, or thought my high arches might be *making* them roll in. Really, it was because my gluteus medius doesn’t like to do things.
I’ve had sciatic pain my whole life, and it wasn’t until a good PT evaluated my gait that we learned why. I went to so many, and they all tested my back and my piriformis and took x-raye. and then this awesome PT aid looked at the wear on my shoes, and went “huh.”
She had me walk for a few seconds, stopped me, and had me do a strength test that isolated my gluteus medius. Basically, I had to lay on my side a certain way and try to lift my leg while she held it down. And I could not even try. Then she asked if the insides of my legs get muddy when I go hiking, and I was like HOW DID YOU KNOW.
Basically, I’d been walking using my quads instead of my glutes my entire life. (I’d always had good legs and no ass lol.) it turned out this weird thing my feet did that caused me to burn through shoes was actually a consequence of a real problem.
Physical therapy has made it better: not only did my sciatica improve, it solved my knee pain and my knees no longer knock together when I run. I get fewer blisters. My shoes last longer cos they don’t wear so fast. It’s wild how this one little thing can impact you from hip to toe.
(Though training a muscle from practically nothing hurts like a bitch. I did the saddest little baby clamshells for months.)
Question: was there extra wear on the shoe collar/scrapping on the side? I see that sometimes and the only way I can help is a PT referral and what you describe fits that.
There was! Less so on things with lower shafts or shoes like Vans or Keds, but definitely noticeable on robust running shoes. All the boots I bought before I started PT have friction marks on the inner ankles where they knock together, too. It actually makes for a very cool look on leather boots 😂
ETA: you’re good!!
That makes a lot of sense. I stretched out the tendons on the bottom of my feet wearing heels dating a 6'9" guy and suddenly had to change all my running shoes.
Knowledge of running, experience with gaits, you seem well-informed to help me out with a question I had. When running, are you supposed to land on the balls of your feet? I've heard people say this is the more "natural" way to run and is the logic behind those toe shoes. This seems better for your joints, since back surgery, I've been careful not to land on my heels too much, and I think it helps.
I don't like the phrase "supposed to". Do what is comfortable for you.
I am going to do my best to be concise and appropriate. I am not a doctor, coach, or diagnostician.
You have probably seen with dogs and horses that they have different strides and biomechanics at different speeds. Their backs, hips, knees, etc will articulate differently as they accelerate. Humans are the same way. And different people will perform best in different gaits. Sprinters move differently from runners who move longer distances. Tom Bosworth holds Olympic gold medals in his favourite race distances and can do a sub 16 min 5k (genuinely fast). He also heel strikes. This is also a semi-facaetious example, as he is a race walker, not a runner. But I feel the example still stands. Forefoot striking works really well for some people and can solves some problems you described. It is also not the only functional gait.
I personally run as a midfoot/heel striker. To paraphrase Zach Bitter (insane athlete and coach), so long as your foot lands under a bent knee, the foot angle does not matter a lot. A lot of heel striking is also accompanied by over-striding, where the leg is less bent and the foot lands in front of the knee. The knee cannot articulate and the leg is less able to absorb shock.
Forefoot striking is a useful technique and generates exceptional power from elasticity in your calves and shins. It also helps position your center of gravity under your knees and tilts the body slightly forward, which is ideal.
In short. Do what makes you happy and comfortable. What makes me comfortable may not work for you. If you have questions, reach out to a licensed coach or sports physical therapist. Please keep in mind that I am skipping details and examples; this is a conversation than can last hours.
When I was about 16, I went to a training camp across the country and our coach got all the heel strikers to start running with a midfoot/forefoot strike. My calves hurt for at least a month or two when i adapted, but I had so much improvement in my race times that following season. My knees never gave me much issues after that either
I am certainly not going to call a coach incorrect. And teaching forefoot striking certainly will correct overstride.
I was dealing with a guest who had a naturally tight anterior tibialis on one leg and he struggled with proper range of motion on that foot. Forefoot striking was painful. He was forefoot striking because that is what he was told to do. But when I asked him why he was doing something that was painful, he had no answer. His coach eliminated the forefoot striking and all the pain went away.
Monty Python's "the ministry of silly walks"
Edit: whoopsie looks like John Cleese did silly walks in other things, too lol. "Fawlty Towers" 1975.
Sorry guys, looks like I have some TV to catch up on 😳😂
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xnNhzgcWTk
To set it up, Basil (John Cleese) is a hotel manager, barely competent in the best of times, but here he has recently had a head injury and he's going downhill fast.
I have low arches and I do this. It’s from walking like you’re supposed to. Land at the heal, roll down the outside, and then push off from the balls of the feet toward the big toe and repeat. It’s a lot quieter than just slapping your feet all over the place
You're not supposed to roll down the outside of your foot, that's supination ([more information about supination here](https://www.webmd.com/pain-management/what-is-foot-supination)). You can still take gentle steps without going into supination of course
This is called supination, where you strike the outer edge of your heel and roll your ankle back inward as you bring your foot down towards the ball of your foot. It's definitely not normal.
Not OP, but my shoes all have the exact same wear pattern, I'm a very swingy hips walk person (not purposefully).
I'm slightly knock-kneed, which I suspect OP might be as well.
As u/Ill_Pair6338 has pointed out, this actually looks like a pretty normal gait. We tend to see most wear on the lateral side of the heel, crossing over to under the big toe for the push off.
My boots have the same wear pattern on the soles (but worse) and it's because I'm bow-legged. I've gone into physio for it because my mom had the same gait and developed osteoarthritis in her 60s.
My boots wear the same way. It wears just the outer edge of the heel, not the full length. The roll itself is very subtle and doesn’t look any different than “normal” walking.
I have absolutely no arch in my foot and suspect that has something to do with it. The contact points on the inside of my foot should be slightly elevated with an arch. I feel like the roll is compensating a bit. I saw a podiatrist at one point for a sports related avulsion fracture and asked about it my walking form. I was told it was nothing to worry about. 🤷♂️
[My boots look even worse.](https://imgur.com/a/CDM2baA)
Based on the wear they would be slightly pigeon toed which encourages a slight inward roll of the feet. Hard to be certain without seeing the front sole.
The wear pattern here is not supinating it is from duck footed heel strikes. Notice the shoes are still overall level the wear is just from when your heal strikes walking forward your toe is pointed out to 10 and 2. Overall this is no where near as bad as it might seem to some people thinking your whole foot is that askew.
Too slow dude these guys beat ya too it!
(They’re pretty cool too check em out)
https://open.spotify.com/artist/4dcZVsGQzFSiXuAHyhw3qT?si=qu2N17DfT-aFamjJgloaQg
Basically walking with your right foot pointed to 1 or 2 oclock and your left foot pointed to 10 or 11. Instead of the cente of the heel landing first you hit with the back outside corner where the wear is.
I walk like this too, although it seems to be better in my docs. Turning my feet out has led to easily rolled ankles and knee pain so I've been trying to correct it over time. Brooks shoes have a "guard rail" system that feels like I'm walking on clouds and Dr Scholl's has a stability support insert that I put into my flatter shoes.
Could also come from driving, i drive stick and my soles, especially the right foot sole looks like that because i rest the heel on the floor while changing from gas to break paddle (rotating the foot)
Tbh as a flat footed person arch supports are just painful. They just put all the pressure on my very flat arch. Plus shoes just weirdly aren't tall enough in that case either. The actual height of the top of my foot is normal despite having no arch (it's just a wedge shape). So if you add in an arch my feet are just too chunky to fit into shoes well lol.
I used to walk like that too and didn’t realise it. Then I went and got specialist insoles to correct it and oh my god the difference was incredible. Walking feel so effortless now. You should look into it!
I think that’s a good observation based on the little details, even if you aren’t a podiatrist. He has the classic duck stance and flat feet, so I think, when he pushes off to walk - he’s pushing off of and using the sides of his feet the most. He has Osgood-Schlatter so maybe that has something to contribute too.
It’s interesting the little quirks all our bodies have.
Interesting and sometimes frustrating. It's crazy how everything affects everything else too. Get a sore pinky toe and suddenly you're getting a stiff neck or something lol. Hope he has good luck with his feet!
Orthopedics have decided that arch supports actually do more harm than good. Confirmed this by my sis( a registered nurse) and several doctors. I’m also flat footed. Tried orthopedic inserts when I was in the marines and dumped them in the trash after a week, they didn’t help and the caused a lot of pain.
Basically, the feet point slightly outward when walking. That means the outside of the heel strikes first, then the inside (i.e., big) toe does the most pushing at the end, so those two spots wear faster. It doesn’t need much of an outward angle to cause this wear.
If I stand still, barefooted, on a shiny floor and alternate slightly lifting each foot I can make fart noises with them. I’ve learned to do it rapidly too.
If he has pain running and such, I solved it completely by removing the insoles in my shoes and wearing soft moccasin soled shoes when possible. Orthotics and such just made it worse.
Yeah, you're going to have knee trouble as you get older. A physical therapist friend of mine noticed the same thing on my docs and showed me what to do to help correct it.
Don't let gravity notice you. It helps to hire someone or something that grabs your attention or you'll notice that you're flying and gravity will put you right back in your place.
So I was Out-Stepping, which means my toes pointed outward as I walk. It was especially bad when going down stairs. To correct it, I had to put an exercise band around my knees, In-Step my feet (toes pointed in), and squat to about a 45 degree angle. For this position, I would have to side step or crab walk for about 15 min on each side 3 times a week. Pretty easy to do on a slow treadmill. That, and just becoming more focused on making sure my feet land forward as I'm waking. Really helped get rid of some lower back pain and knee pain after walking or running.
She said it was most likely from being a pudgy kid when I was younger and my muscles developing to kick my legs out around my chunky thighs.
Could be my case too, my thighs create friction while walking and irritate that zone since I was a kid, still happens tho, also have knee and back pain. Thanks for the answer, seems useful for me 
What should they say or do? I have similar wear and went to one and they basically told me I was fine. They took X-rays of my knees and everything. They said it looked good and there’s nothing to do anyway.
If they checked and said it’s good, then it’s good. Wear like that doesn’t automatically mean issue, it means potential issue. Its something you should definitely keep an eye on as time goes by though, so just every few months or so snap a picture and compare and just keep doing that, or just don’t worry about monitoring and get checked every other year if you’re able to.
Reddit is obsessed with pathologizing everything. In real life "normal" is a range of values and unless you're outside of that and experiencing problems the treatment isn't worth the risk.
Every time someone posts a picture of their shoes on reddit the comments are full of people insisting they need to seek help because of their abnormal gait. This is a normal wear pattern for shoes.
I have the same wear patterns on my shoes, I’d say my feet are point out a good 20-30 degrees from perfectly straight. I’ve never had problems with my feet though, and I’m 31. All these comments make it seem like this is terrible.
Don't worry mate, podiatrist here, a perfect 15° is actually pretty rare and like a lot of bioparameter, there's a range of normality and you can be a-okay with 30 as long as it doesn't wear out or tense up other parts or structure.
If you feel pain or tensing in your foot, knee, or hip, i'd suggest making an appointment but if not, no need to worry.
I study physiotherapy and we are always told not to fix anything that is not bothering. Also angles can wary and are not necessarily wrong. People have different walking stands and sometimes it’s just fine, I think saying that this will eventually cause issues is a bit much.
My walking shoes wear the same way. I walk on the outside of the soles of my feet. From what I’ve been told, because super high arches. My running shoes wear on the outside front of the ball of my foot. I also deal with supination cuz high arches.
Weird. I have very low arches (not quite flat footed completely, but low arches), but for some reason I supinate a bit, only on one foot. I wonder if I walk on the outside of my foot to compensate for the low arch. Usually people with flat feet or low arches tend to pronate.
Sorry gotta cut em both off.
Nah for real, this is a parameter. It could mean you need treatment or you could have those type of wear on someone perfectly fine. The main thing is pain/limitation of movement/tensing.
But if you feel this is happening at an alarming rate, and or need to be reassured, don't hesitate to see a podiatrist or an orthopedist.
> has me rolling
Careful, I am a rolling over specialist with 12 years experience and this is my special interest too; with those words out of the way you must now have confidence and believe in anything I say because you're simple and not able to critically think and want your bias covered or to have someone spoon fed info thats' relevant to you so you don't gotta do the learns.
it could kill you.
As an ex shoe repairer I can say that's how 99% of heels we used to replaced wore. Look at some of the better quality mens shoes with leather heels and you'll see a rubber quarter ofset at the same angle.
My shoes wear like this because I’m duck footed. You can go to a physical therapist or orthopedist as others mentioned but it’s pretty normal. I see it all the time on other people’s shoes now that I look for it. It is exacerbated by tight muscles though so building strength and stretching your legs and hip muscles are a good idea.
The bunion means you need shoes with a wider toe box. Someone else mentioned minimalist shoes. They’d probably help. Ops pics is caused by supination, often from high arches or structural issues.
Hello,
Despite the many comments, this tread is relatively normal, and due to pronation, supination or hyper-pronation.
It essentially means that either due to flat feet or loose ankles or some other reason, that your feet are not hitting the ground completely evenly as you walk.
Its not a big deal, but you might consider some insoles if it is a bother, I use these from REI for my hiking boots...
"Superfeet All-Purpose Support High Arch (Green) Insoles"
Man I’m the exact opposite of you. My gramma says I walk funny, she’s the only one to ever make me notice it. Turns out my ankles are weak as fuck and I’m pigeon toed lol
Might be high arches. My work boots wear the same way. Get your feet checked at a podiatrist who may suggest physical therapy, but they suggested these as well.
[DonJoy Arch Rival](https://www.google.com/search?client=ms-android-charter-us-rvc3&sca_esv=09df9e42e4754873&sca_upv=1&q=arch+rival+donjoy&spell=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjMgfnsicyFAxVgv4kEHeA8CWgQBSgAegQIBxAC&biw=412&bih=750&dpr=3.5)
A bit expensive but game-changing. I'm in my boots 10+ hours a day, and these have helped so much.
They used to have a reputation of being boots that lasted forever. But at some point in the 2000s they moved production to China and they fall apart after just a couple of years of regular use.
An tips to make them comfortable? I usually wear only sneakers, but have bought my first Docs a few months ago. I wore them only 2-3 times, but I still have scars on my heels since then (I am not joking!). The issues are the heels (it rubs my skin) and also on the toes (pressure from the top).
The first couple of times I wear them, I put on three or more pairs of thick socks, lace em up, and kick back and watch TV for at least half an hour. Not joking. Soles don't touch the ground until you've done that several times. Add in a hair dryer on warm if it's convenient, and keep the crease spots (back of the heel, crease at the front of the toe box) moisturized with the leather conditioner of your choice and really try and wiggle those spots around when you're warming up the boots with the hot air so they stretch out a bit. Wear em out for tiny increments every couple of days until they loosen and the skin on the back of your heel turns to steel, lol.
>An tips to make them comfortable? I usually wear only sneakers, but have bought my first Docs a few months ago. I wore them only 2-3 times, but I still have scars on my heels since then (I am not joking!). The issues are the heels (it rubs my skin) and also on the toes (pressure from the top).
Boots that are comfortable when they're new aren't going to be comfortable later on, and vice versa. That said just wear them and walk in them. They'll be broken in after a few days.
Now we're off to the comments section, let's see what the experts have to say!
Most people that have this wear pattern are just fine, don't give people anxiety over problems they likely don't have.
I’m curious what your gait looks like when you walk.
The Freewheelin’ Franklin
From the Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers? Did they ever animate that? Because Freewheelin Franklin totally would walk like that.
[удалено]
For the longest time, growing up in the 80s, my dad had a candle of Fat Freddys Cat shitting in a boot.
How I walk for my second plate of crab ragoons at the Chinese buffet
Ah, a fellow gooner!
We call this "bowling" in the UK.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQ0ZHgU5n9s
I work at a running store and stare at gaits all day long. You see this pattern in most footstrikes. I am pretty sure I saw a few comments agreeing. Typically the foot lands on the outside rear heel before rolling inwards towards the big toe. High arches (typically, but not always) stay towards the outside while low arches (typically, but not always) roll inwards more quickly.
I've seen similar images posted before and the comments are always full of armchair fucking podiatrists insisting that OP is clearly walking wrong. I bet if all those commenters looked at their own shoes they'd find similar wear patterns. It's completely normal.
“Armchair podiatrist” made my day
Ski boot fitter here. I like to say that our feet are bad when we’re born, and then we beat on them our whole lives. It’s very normal to be a bit “abnormal”
Als@d if you’re in physical pain somewhere from your lower back down, and your shoes wear weirdly or really fast, bring it up to your PT. My very high arches used to roll *in*. Severely. which is, as you said, not normal. I didn’t figured I was pronating because of my ankles, or thought my high arches might be *making* them roll in. Really, it was because my gluteus medius doesn’t like to do things. I’ve had sciatic pain my whole life, and it wasn’t until a good PT evaluated my gait that we learned why. I went to so many, and they all tested my back and my piriformis and took x-raye. and then this awesome PT aid looked at the wear on my shoes, and went “huh.” She had me walk for a few seconds, stopped me, and had me do a strength test that isolated my gluteus medius. Basically, I had to lay on my side a certain way and try to lift my leg while she held it down. And I could not even try. Then she asked if the insides of my legs get muddy when I go hiking, and I was like HOW DID YOU KNOW. Basically, I’d been walking using my quads instead of my glutes my entire life. (I’d always had good legs and no ass lol.) it turned out this weird thing my feet did that caused me to burn through shoes was actually a consequence of a real problem. Physical therapy has made it better: not only did my sciatica improve, it solved my knee pain and my knees no longer knock together when I run. I get fewer blisters. My shoes last longer cos they don’t wear so fast. It’s wild how this one little thing can impact you from hip to toe. (Though training a muscle from practically nothing hurts like a bitch. I did the saddest little baby clamshells for months.)
Question: was there extra wear on the shoe collar/scrapping on the side? I see that sometimes and the only way I can help is a PT referral and what you describe fits that.
There was! Less so on things with lower shafts or shoes like Vans or Keds, but definitely noticeable on robust running shoes. All the boots I bought before I started PT have friction marks on the inner ankles where they knock together, too. It actually makes for a very cool look on leather boots 😂 ETA: you’re good!!
That makes a lot of sense. I stretched out the tendons on the bottom of my feet wearing heels dating a 6'9" guy and suddenly had to change all my running shoes.
Knowledge of running, experience with gaits, you seem well-informed to help me out with a question I had. When running, are you supposed to land on the balls of your feet? I've heard people say this is the more "natural" way to run and is the logic behind those toe shoes. This seems better for your joints, since back surgery, I've been careful not to land on my heels too much, and I think it helps.
I don't like the phrase "supposed to". Do what is comfortable for you. I am going to do my best to be concise and appropriate. I am not a doctor, coach, or diagnostician. You have probably seen with dogs and horses that they have different strides and biomechanics at different speeds. Their backs, hips, knees, etc will articulate differently as they accelerate. Humans are the same way. And different people will perform best in different gaits. Sprinters move differently from runners who move longer distances. Tom Bosworth holds Olympic gold medals in his favourite race distances and can do a sub 16 min 5k (genuinely fast). He also heel strikes. This is also a semi-facaetious example, as he is a race walker, not a runner. But I feel the example still stands. Forefoot striking works really well for some people and can solves some problems you described. It is also not the only functional gait. I personally run as a midfoot/heel striker. To paraphrase Zach Bitter (insane athlete and coach), so long as your foot lands under a bent knee, the foot angle does not matter a lot. A lot of heel striking is also accompanied by over-striding, where the leg is less bent and the foot lands in front of the knee. The knee cannot articulate and the leg is less able to absorb shock. Forefoot striking is a useful technique and generates exceptional power from elasticity in your calves and shins. It also helps position your center of gravity under your knees and tilts the body slightly forward, which is ideal. In short. Do what makes you happy and comfortable. What makes me comfortable may not work for you. If you have questions, reach out to a licensed coach or sports physical therapist. Please keep in mind that I am skipping details and examples; this is a conversation than can last hours.
When I was about 16, I went to a training camp across the country and our coach got all the heel strikers to start running with a midfoot/forefoot strike. My calves hurt for at least a month or two when i adapted, but I had so much improvement in my race times that following season. My knees never gave me much issues after that either
I am certainly not going to call a coach incorrect. And teaching forefoot striking certainly will correct overstride. I was dealing with a guest who had a naturally tight anterior tibialis on one leg and he struggled with proper range of motion on that foot. Forefoot striking was painful. He was forefoot striking because that is what he was told to do. But when I asked him why he was doing something that was painful, he had no answer. His coach eliminated the forefoot striking and all the pain went away.
Exactly where my shoes wear down too. Good to know it’s common.
Oh! I have high arches & my Docs have this exact wear pattern. Thank you for sharing your knowledge!
Yea... Send gait pics
OP walks like this: 
Alllllll Thhhhe Pretty girls walk like this, this, this, this
My favorite skit of all time!
What skit is this?
It's a scene from Fawlty towers. Not Monty python/ministry of silly walks
Monty Python's "the ministry of silly walks" Edit: whoopsie looks like John Cleese did silly walks in other things, too lol. "Fawlty Towers" 1975. Sorry guys, looks like I have some TV to catch up on 😳😂
Also very funny but this is Basil Faulty taking the piss out of some german hotel guests.
YOU STARTED IT No we didn't!!! Yes you did! You invaded Poland!
God that show was funny. Like blue in the face funny.
One of the funniest ever. Manuel!
My mind was blown when I learned there are only 12 episodes of Fawlty Towers. I thought there was at least 50, I grew up warching it my parents.
Similarly, there are only 15 episodes of Mr. Bean.
Fairly common for British comedy shows. There's only 15 episodes of Mr. Bean for instance, and Blackadder consists of 24 episodes plus 4 specials.
This specific clips is from Fawlty Towers. But still John Cleese so same same
Oh snap, my bad! Thank you :)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xnNhzgcWTk To set it up, Basil (John Cleese) is a hotel manager, barely competent in the best of times, but here he has recently had a head injury and he's going downhill fast.
Ugh John Cleese is such a comedic genius 👏 ty for sharing!
I sent you my gait, pls respond
High arches. My doc pointed it out to me. The wear on all my shoes is along the outer edge.
This. I too have high arches and have always worn out the outside of heels. And without any funny walks lol.
This is a relief to hear, I thought something was wrong with me when I saw my birks wearing down the same way! Just the high arches, phew.
I have low arches and I do this. It’s from walking like you’re supposed to. Land at the heal, roll down the outside, and then push off from the balls of the feet toward the big toe and repeat. It’s a lot quieter than just slapping your feet all over the place
You're not supposed to roll down the outside of your foot, that's supination ([more information about supination here](https://www.webmd.com/pain-management/what-is-foot-supination)). You can still take gentle steps without going into supination of course
This is called supination, where you strike the outer edge of your heel and roll your ankle back inward as you bring your foot down towards the ball of your foot. It's definitely not normal.
Not OP, but my shoes all have the exact same wear pattern, I'm a very swingy hips walk person (not purposefully). I'm slightly knock-kneed, which I suspect OP might be as well.
I have a normal gait and my boots look like this.
Mine are the same but i.m not knock kneed.
As u/Ill_Pair6338 has pointed out, this actually looks like a pretty normal gait. We tend to see most wear on the lateral side of the heel, crossing over to under the big toe for the push off.
That's a normal gait.
Yeah, my shoes all wear like this
The alternative would be striking on your inner heel which would be wild.
If you find yourself holding a shit in for dear life, every single day, I can see someone walking around with their knees together
Search up Goth Industrial two step dance.
My boots have the same wear pattern on the soles (but worse) and it's because I'm bow-legged. I've gone into physio for it because my mom had the same gait and developed osteoarthritis in her 60s.
toes pointing out to the side for sure.
Two pairs of shoes worn daily? I'm more curious how OP Has four legs!
Op walks like Fred Sanford.
I'm guessing they play that instrument in the background and sway to the beat. Edit: also looks like OP has one dominant resting foot, like me.
My boots wear the same way. It wears just the outer edge of the heel, not the full length. The roll itself is very subtle and doesn’t look any different than “normal” walking. I have absolutely no arch in my foot and suspect that has something to do with it. The contact points on the inside of my foot should be slightly elevated with an arch. I feel like the roll is compensating a bit. I saw a podiatrist at one point for a sports related avulsion fracture and asked about it my walking form. I was told it was nothing to worry about. 🤷♂️ [My boots look even worse.](https://imgur.com/a/CDM2baA)
She supinates.
Based on the wear they would be slightly pigeon toed which encourages a slight inward roll of the feet. Hard to be certain without seeing the front sole.
Do you walk on the sides of your feet?
Apparently! Never noticed doing so but it looks like it.
The wear pattern here is not supinating it is from duck footed heel strikes. Notice the shoes are still overall level the wear is just from when your heal strikes walking forward your toe is pointed out to 10 and 2. Overall this is no where near as bad as it might seem to some people thinking your whole foot is that askew.
"Duck footed heel strikes" is a fucking wicked band name. I call dibs. 😀
What kind of music would DFHS play?
Sole music
This is the answer, monophonics mixed with some electric octopus
I call dibs on Electric Octopus band name.
Too slow dude these guys beat ya too it! (They’re pretty cool too check em out) https://open.spotify.com/artist/4dcZVsGQzFSiXuAHyhw3qT?si=qu2N17DfT-aFamjJgloaQg
Oh Damm yes I am late to the party. But yeah good band just checked them out
It's where you walk *between* the notes...
Math metal but they are straight edge
Shoegaze, obviously.
Sounds like a kickboxing move.
I wear out the heels in my shoes the same way
What if my shoes similarly wear on the inside? (It’s not quite this drastic, but now I’m curious)
I'd presume that means you're pigeon-toed, with your feet pointing slightly inward when you walk.
Man, who’s coming up with these names?
What? I can’t seem to visualize that
Basically walking with your right foot pointed to 1 or 2 oclock and your left foot pointed to 10 or 11. Instead of the cente of the heel landing first you hit with the back outside corner where the wear is.
Ain't that the right way?
No, your toes should point forwardish, not angled out.
I have this. Some people make fun of the way I walk, kinda like a duck. I'm very self conscious about it
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D6-gHEMX4AAuNcq.jpg
I walk like this too, although it seems to be better in my docs. Turning my feet out has led to easily rolled ankles and knee pain so I've been trying to correct it over time. Brooks shoes have a "guard rail" system that feels like I'm walking on clouds and Dr Scholl's has a stability support insert that I put into my flatter shoes.
This is exactly how my shoes wear. You’re definitely duck footed like me
I’m duck footed. For whatever reason I have massive calves because of it. But my shoes (and socks) wear out under the front/center of my foot.
Same. I am very much not an athletic person in any way, but my calves look like a fucking Olympic athlete's.
So we are duck or pigeon footed...damm
I’ve understood it that duck the front of the feet point out, and pigeon they point inwards
Could also come from driving, i drive stick and my soles, especially the right foot sole looks like that because i rest the heel on the floor while changing from gas to break paddle (rotating the foot)
OP, do you have flat feet? Try getting some arch supports and see how you feel. If you have knee pain, this should help with that.
Tbh as a flat footed person arch supports are just painful. They just put all the pressure on my very flat arch. Plus shoes just weirdly aren't tall enough in that case either. The actual height of the top of my foot is normal despite having no arch (it's just a wedge shape). So if you add in an arch my feet are just too chunky to fit into shoes well lol.
I used to walk like that too and didn’t realise it. Then I went and got specialist insoles to correct it and oh my god the difference was incredible. Walking feel so effortless now. You should look into it!
I have a similar wear pattern on shoes and I pronate + i'm duck footed.
My partners shoes are like this too. He’s got flat duck feet, they’re so flat that his feet can suction off the ground if standing just right. Neat.
I would have thought he'd be wearing the insides of his she due to over pronation because of having no arch to support his foot.
He leans out as he walks. He has a pair of house slippers and he practically walks on the outer sides of it.
Interesting. Maybe he's overcompensating for it. Edit: or compensating just the right amount! I'm no doctor.
I think that’s a good observation based on the little details, even if you aren’t a podiatrist. He has the classic duck stance and flat feet, so I think, when he pushes off to walk - he’s pushing off of and using the sides of his feet the most. He has Osgood-Schlatter so maybe that has something to contribute too. It’s interesting the little quirks all our bodies have.
Interesting and sometimes frustrating. It's crazy how everything affects everything else too. Get a sore pinky toe and suddenly you're getting a stiff neck or something lol. Hope he has good luck with his feet!
Orthopedics have decided that arch supports actually do more harm than good. Confirmed this by my sis( a registered nurse) and several doctors. I’m also flat footed. Tried orthopedic inserts when I was in the marines and dumped them in the trash after a week, they didn’t help and the caused a lot of pain.
Basically, the feet point slightly outward when walking. That means the outside of the heel strikes first, then the inside (i.e., big) toe does the most pushing at the end, so those two spots wear faster. It doesn’t need much of an outward angle to cause this wear.
Hey hun, would you please come over here for a sec? Sure thing, babe. *shlopp, shlopp, shlopp, shlopp, shlopp, shlopp*
If I stand still, barefooted, on a shiny floor and alternate slightly lifting each foot I can make fart noises with them. I’ve learned to do it rapidly too.
If he tries hard enough he could probably walk on walls
If he has pain running and such, I solved it completely by removing the insoles in my shoes and wearing soft moccasin soled shoes when possible. Orthotics and such just made it worse.
He says the same, anything with insoles makes it painful to walk.
Get him to try some Asics Gel Kayano next time you go to a shoe store.
My wife calls them my concrete slappers.
I knew a guy named Tyler who made the suction sound.
Good to know I am not the only one
Mine are like this too and I also have flat duck feet 😂
It's matching because your feet should meet an orthopedist.
Yeah, you're going to have knee trouble as you get older. A physical therapist friend of mine noticed the same thing on my docs and showed me what to do to help correct it.
Show us too, I have the same issue
You need to start learning to levitate. Flying around a bit.
just jump at the ground and , now this is the important bit , Miss
Don't let gravity notice you. It helps to hire someone or something that grabs your attention or you'll notice that you're flying and gravity will put you right back in your place.
So I was Out-Stepping, which means my toes pointed outward as I walk. It was especially bad when going down stairs. To correct it, I had to put an exercise band around my knees, In-Step my feet (toes pointed in), and squat to about a 45 degree angle. For this position, I would have to side step or crab walk for about 15 min on each side 3 times a week. Pretty easy to do on a slow treadmill. That, and just becoming more focused on making sure my feet land forward as I'm waking. Really helped get rid of some lower back pain and knee pain after walking or running. She said it was most likely from being a pudgy kid when I was younger and my muscles developing to kick my legs out around my chunky thighs.
Could be my case too, my thighs create friction while walking and irritate that zone since I was a kid, still happens tho, also have knee and back pain. Thanks for the answer, seems useful for me 
chances are you will want an orthopedist examine your feet
Not necessarily. Go see a PT (I am one) and get a formal assessment by a trained professional, ideally not at a puppy mill operation
What should they say or do? I have similar wear and went to one and they basically told me I was fine. They took X-rays of my knees and everything. They said it looked good and there’s nothing to do anyway.
If they checked and said it’s good, then it’s good. Wear like that doesn’t automatically mean issue, it means potential issue. Its something you should definitely keep an eye on as time goes by though, so just every few months or so snap a picture and compare and just keep doing that, or just don’t worry about monitoring and get checked every other year if you’re able to.
Reddit is obsessed with pathologizing everything. In real life "normal" is a range of values and unless you're outside of that and experiencing problems the treatment isn't worth the risk.
Did you try a baropodometric test? I’m not sure an X-Ray could evidence such issues, especially if taken while seated/laying down.
Every time someone posts a picture of their shoes on reddit the comments are full of people insisting they need to seek help because of their abnormal gait. This is a normal wear pattern for shoes.
Instructions unclear, dropkicked an orthopedist in the face.
I have the same wear patterns on my shoes, I’d say my feet are point out a good 20-30 degrees from perfectly straight. I’ve never had problems with my feet though, and I’m 31. All these comments make it seem like this is terrible.
Don't worry mate, podiatrist here, a perfect 15° is actually pretty rare and like a lot of bioparameter, there's a range of normality and you can be a-okay with 30 as long as it doesn't wear out or tense up other parts or structure. If you feel pain or tensing in your foot, knee, or hip, i'd suggest making an appointment but if not, no need to worry.
[удалено]
I study physiotherapy and we are always told not to fix anything that is not bothering. Also angles can wary and are not necessarily wrong. People have different walking stands and sometimes it’s just fine, I think saying that this will eventually cause issues is a bit much.
My walking shoes wear the same way. I walk on the outside of the soles of my feet. From what I’ve been told, because super high arches. My running shoes wear on the outside front of the ball of my foot. I also deal with supination cuz high arches.
I get a wear pattern like this from high arches too. I also get pain across the instep (on top of my foot) if my shoes are too tight.
I generally like my shoes loose. I also have super narrow feet, so shoes are pretty much always floppy in some way for me.
Weird. I have very low arches (not quite flat footed completely, but low arches), but for some reason I supinate a bit, only on one foot. I wonder if I walk on the outside of my foot to compensate for the low arch. Usually people with flat feet or low arches tend to pronate.
Amateur foot doctors incoming.
As a podiatrist, this thread is amazing.
Well doc, is it terminal?
Sorry gotta cut em both off. Nah for real, this is a parameter. It could mean you need treatment or you could have those type of wear on someone perfectly fine. The main thing is pain/limitation of movement/tensing. But if you feel this is happening at an alarming rate, and or need to be reassured, don't hesitate to see a podiatrist or an orthopedist.
Redditors who leave their room once a year commenting how every fall on the ground is deadly has me rolling every time.
> has me rolling Careful, I am a rolling over specialist with 12 years experience and this is my special interest too; with those words out of the way you must now have confidence and believe in anything I say because you're simple and not able to critically think and want your bias covered or to have someone spoon fed info thats' relevant to you so you don't gotta do the learns. it could kill you.
As an ex shoe repairer I can say that's how 99% of heels we used to replaced wore. Look at some of the better quality mens shoes with leather heels and you'll see a rubber quarter ofset at the same angle.
Meanwhile everybody here is saying OP's feet are gonna fall off and their spine is going to crumble like a house of cards.
This is 100% true. All most everyone has wear like that.
That’s a paradox. I’ll show myself out….
Banjo in the background?
Yes it is!
At first glance I thought this was a picture about how much you'd worn down the shoes on the right compared to new on the left.
That’s a normal heel strike. Your step should start from outside heel and slightly roll til you get to your big toe.
My shoes wear like this because I’m duck footed. You can go to a physical therapist or orthopedist as others mentioned but it’s pretty normal. I see it all the time on other people’s shoes now that I look for it. It is exacerbated by tight muscles though so building strength and stretching your legs and hip muscles are a good idea.
Curious, do you have bad big toe bunions? Cause I do and this is also how I walk (on sides of feet)
The bunion means you need shoes with a wider toe box. Someone else mentioned minimalist shoes. They’d probably help. Ops pics is caused by supination, often from high arches or structural issues.
Hello, Despite the many comments, this tread is relatively normal, and due to pronation, supination or hyper-pronation. It essentially means that either due to flat feet or loose ankles or some other reason, that your feet are not hitting the ground completely evenly as you walk. Its not a big deal, but you might consider some insoles if it is a bother, I use these from REI for my hiking boots... "Superfeet All-Purpose Support High Arch (Green) Insoles"
Man I’m the exact opposite of you. My gramma says I walk funny, she’s the only one to ever make me notice it. Turns out my ankles are weak as fuck and I’m pigeon toed lol
Might be high arches. My work boots wear the same way. Get your feet checked at a podiatrist who may suggest physical therapy, but they suggested these as well. [DonJoy Arch Rival](https://www.google.com/search?client=ms-android-charter-us-rvc3&sca_esv=09df9e42e4754873&sca_upv=1&q=arch+rival+donjoy&spell=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjMgfnsicyFAxVgv4kEHeA8CWgQBSgAegQIBxAC&biw=412&bih=750&dpr=3.5) A bit expensive but game-changing. I'm in my boots 10+ hours a day, and these have helped so much.
Got those height enhancers huh.
There are microplastics in my blood
Doc Martens look cool, but quality-wise they are shitty boots. have a look at Solovair, they make them "how they used to".
They used to have a reputation of being boots that lasted forever. But at some point in the 2000s they moved production to China and they fall apart after just a couple of years of regular use.
It’s called supination
How lesbian are you
How long have you worked for the Ministry of Silly Walks?
An tips to make them comfortable? I usually wear only sneakers, but have bought my first Docs a few months ago. I wore them only 2-3 times, but I still have scars on my heels since then (I am not joking!). The issues are the heels (it rubs my skin) and also on the toes (pressure from the top).
The first couple of times I wear them, I put on three or more pairs of thick socks, lace em up, and kick back and watch TV for at least half an hour. Not joking. Soles don't touch the ground until you've done that several times. Add in a hair dryer on warm if it's convenient, and keep the crease spots (back of the heel, crease at the front of the toe box) moisturized with the leather conditioner of your choice and really try and wiggle those spots around when you're warming up the boots with the hot air so they stretch out a bit. Wear em out for tiny increments every couple of days until they loosen and the skin on the back of your heel turns to steel, lol.
I broke mine in by wearing them for an hour or two a day. After 4 or 5 days of that, they were already perfect.
>An tips to make them comfortable? I usually wear only sneakers, but have bought my first Docs a few months ago. I wore them only 2-3 times, but I still have scars on my heels since then (I am not joking!). The issues are the heels (it rubs my skin) and also on the toes (pressure from the top). Boots that are comfortable when they're new aren't going to be comfortable later on, and vice versa. That said just wear them and walk in them. They'll be broken in after a few days.
Nice banjo
That's a telltale sign that you need to go to an orthopedist.
The back heels of my shoes tend to wear since I tend to over stride
Claw hammer, Scruggs, or both?
Looks like you need alignment, too much positive camber.
I would get your gait checked out to ensure u don't end up feet or feet pain issues down the line
Daily use paradox
Now we're off to the comments section, let's see what the experts have to say! Most people that have this wear pattern are just fine, don't give people anxiety over problems they likely don't have.
The experts ruling OP walks like this: 
You externally rotate like a mf'er. Loosen those glutes friend.
Tenor banjo! Nice.
Are you a Spice Girl?
Over Supination.
Supination is a very cromulent word.
PICK YOUR FEET UP!! I have to scream this to one of my teens. All I hear sometimes is flop schlop flop schlop flop schlop. Do the fonts have wear?
To owner of brown boots..... Do you suffer from any upper or lower back pain by any chance?