# Why do many people walk with their feet splayed? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 10, 2015, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-people-walk-with-their-feet-splayed/734121 "2015-10-10T04:35:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![SeniorCitizen007](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8baadc/32.png) [@SeniorCitizen007](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeniorCitizen007)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2015, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-people-walk-with-their-feet-splayed/734121/1 "2015-10-10T04:35:34Z")
It’s my opinion that people who walk with their feet splayed are in a psychologically different state of mind to those who walk with a natural gait. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2015, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-people-walk-with-their-feet-splayed/734121/2 "2015-10-10T04:45:40Z")
How do you know that’s not a natural gait for them? ---
**Author:** ![SeniorCitizen007](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8baadc/32.png) [@SeniorCitizen007](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeniorCitizen007)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2015, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-people-walk-with-their-feet-splayed/734121/3 "2015-10-10T05:16:37Z")
I’ve just noticed that this same question was discussed here back in 2006 > **[Where do your feet point when you walk, and why?](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=360193)** > > Despite the title’s phrasing, this isn’t meant to be a poll so much as the quest for an answer. In the last four years or so that I’ve spent commuting on public transportation, I’ve looked down a lot. What I’ve begun to notice is that some people,... ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2015, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-people-walk-with-their-feet-splayed/734121/4 "2015-10-10T05:27:19Z")
I’m in a psychologically different state of mind known as “I need to get somewhere in a hurry.” My normal, plodding gait is with my feet pointing more or less straight ahead. But I have found that I can walk considerably faster by pointing them outward. So if I need to go faster, I just splay my feet. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2015, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-people-walk-with-their-feet-splayed/734121/5 "2015-10-10T06:19:01Z")
What’s does “psychological state of mind” mean? Particularly in this context? ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2015, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-people-walk-with-their-feet-splayed/734121/6 "2015-10-10T06:51:48Z")
Some people’s feet are just like that. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2015, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-people-walk-with-their-feet-splayed/734121/7 "2015-10-10T12:09:57Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > What’s does “psychological state of mind” mean? Particularly in this context? I’m just taking a Greyhound on the Hudson River line 'Cause I’m in a, I’m in a psychological state of mind ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2015, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-people-walk-with-their-feet-splayed/734121/8 "2015-10-10T12:49:33Z")
You are not completely wrong, inasmuch that one’s gait can sometimes indicate something about their neurological make-up. I have an unusual gait–my stance is bit wider than normal and I typically don’t swing both of my arms. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that I also have below average proprioception and that I’m a huge klutz. But it seems to me that splayed feet are more orthopedic than neurological. My twin used to have splayed feet. But she either outgrew the condition or trained herself to stop walking that way. I, on the other hand, had pigeon toes as a small child. Most children outgrow this on their own, but I had to have some orthopedic assistance. Pregnant women sometimes develop splayed feet. I bet it has something to do with hormone-induced loosening of their ligaments. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2015, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-people-walk-with-their-feet-splayed/734121/9 "2015-10-10T13:09:38Z")
Am I the only one who had to look up “splayed feet”? I’m still not certain wtf it means, especially after doing a [Google Image Search.](https://www.google.com/search?q=splayed+feet&safe=off&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0CCQQsARqFQoTCITx57T8t8gCFYRvPgodsPIPjA&biw=1366&bih=635) ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2015, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-people-walk-with-their-feet-splayed/734121/10 "2015-10-10T13:16:13Z")
> [@SeniorCitizen007](#): > > It’s my opinion that people who walk with their feet splayed are in a psychologically different state of mind to those who walk with a natural gait. Absolutely. Cowards that are just trying to avoid the draft. ---
**Author:** ![Flyer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/flyer/32/7298_2.png) [@Flyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flyer)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2015, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-people-walk-with-their-feet-splayed/734121/11 "2015-10-10T13:52:57Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Am I the only one who had to look up “splayed feet”? I’m still not certain wtf it means, especially after doing a [Google Image Search.](https://www.google.com/search?q=splayed+feet&safe=off&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0CCQQsARqFQoTCITx57T8t8gCFYRvPgodsPIPjA&biw=1366&bih=635) There seems to be more than one definition, but I think that this picture illustrates what most people mean. Ignore the text underneath. [![](http://image.slidesharecdn.com/watchyourfeet-13274822399948-phpapp01-120125032039-phpapp01/95/watch-your-feet-5-728.jpg?cb=1327461795) ](http://image.slidesharecdn.com/watchyourfeet-13274822399948-phpapp01-120125032039-phpapp01/95/watch-your-feet-5-728.jpg?cb=1327461795) ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2015, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-people-walk-with-their-feet-splayed/734121/12 "2015-10-10T13:58:00Z")
> [@Flyer](#): > > There seems to be more than one definition, but I think that this picture illustrates what most people mean. > > Ignore the text underneath. > [http://image.slidesharecdn.com/watchyourfeet-13274822399948-phpapp01-120125032039-phpapp01/95/watch-your-feet-5-728.jpg?cb=1327461795](http://image.slidesharecdn.com/watchyourfeet-13274822399948-phpapp01-120125032039-phpapp01/95/watch-your-feet-5-728.jpg?cb=1327461795) Ahhh, the busybody gait. Why didn’t you say so. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2015, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-people-walk-with-their-feet-splayed/734121/13 "2015-10-10T14:59:10Z")
My feet are naturally splayed. I took a lot of teasing for it at school, and tried to force myself to walk with my feet parallel to one another, at the expense of much pain and discomfort in my hips and knees. I can rotate my feet outwards easily far enough that I can put the right side of my right foit next to the left side of my left foot. I cant rotate them inwards far enough to make my big toes meet at 90 degrees. What is natural for one person is unnatural for another. I’d have thought that was obvious to anyone who has lived long enough to take the name Senior Citizen. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2015, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-people-walk-with-their-feet-splayed/734121/14 "2015-10-10T15:11:57Z")
I would call it “duck footed”, with the opposite being “pigeon toed”. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2015, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-people-walk-with-their-feet-splayed/734121/15 "2015-10-10T16:53:06Z")
It’s just how my legs are. The resting position of my feet is about 80 degrees. I can’t ski because forcing my feet to be parallel is uncomfortable. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2015, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-people-walk-with-their-feet-splayed/734121/16 "2015-10-10T17:14:57Z")
The folks I wonder about are the ones where one foot is pointed straight ahead and the other is pointed about 30 degrees outward. How they walk without something resembling a limp is a mystery to me. Seems to be more common on the obese. But that may be confirmation bias. ETA: Here’s another vote that it’s orthopedic. Foot splayness is more-or-less fixed in any given person but varies between individuals. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2015, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-people-walk-with-their-feet-splayed/734121/17 "2015-10-10T18:39:27Z")
> [@gotpasswords](#): > > It’s just how my legs are. The resting position of my feet is about 80 degrees. > > I can’t ski because forcing my feet to be parallel is uncomfortable. For me, it’s just that turning my legs in tends to exert uncomfortable pressure on my massive genitals. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2015, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-people-walk-with-their-feet-splayed/734121/18 "2015-10-10T19:35:46Z")
Some call obsession with feet a fetish. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2015, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-people-walk-with-their-feet-splayed/734121/19 "2015-10-10T21:15:33Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > For me, it’s just that turning my legs in tends to exert uncomfortable pressure on my massive genitals. [Old man balls](http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nmj-T_6Qg3c/S7ogMqf9B_I/AAAAAAAAANw/tvN-02AD1YM/s1600/old-man-balls.jpg)? ---
**Author:** ![P-man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/p-man/32/3606_2.png) [@P-man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/P-man)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2015, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-people-walk-with-their-feet-splayed/734121/20 "2015-10-11T00:08:29Z")
My feet are naturally splayed (as in “10 til 2”). I wonder if it’s related to my very high arches. Despite my comical running form, I was a pretty fair long distance runner through my thirties. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-people-walk-with-their-feet-splayed/734121.md?page=2)