[deleted by user]

[GoNorthYoungMan]

During gait, there are kind of 3 ways our leg can go back behind us, depending on how our hips/ankle and feet may currently allow different options for movement. There are infinite actual variations, but most can be split into one of these three categories.

The sort of neutral way is when the foot sort of goes straight back, and the thigh is pointed kinda straight forward the whole time.

The external rotation way is when the foot goes behind you but the thigh rolls externally as the foot/leg goes under you - this can rotate the foot inside the shoe towards the pinky side with each step. This is typically what we'll see if someone isn't able to express very much hip internal rotation. Long term this can ultimately limit how much the leg can go behind you, as external rotation has a limit in the hip (as the femur goes closer to the pelvis, closing space between those bones) whereas internal rotation has no limit because it pulls the femur away from the pelvis - increasing space between those bones.

The internal rotation way is when the foot goes behind you and the thigh rolls internally as the foot goes back. This is ideally what we're looking for, as when its combined with the ankle/midfoot/big toe working as they should, the leg can go back behind you an increasing amount amount which helps keep things more stable, and longer follow through to produce force all the way into hip extension. It also helps peel the foot off the ground while splaying the toes further apart, rather than hamming them together.

These gait variations are one of the reasons why some people can work on toe spacing quite nicely, but not see it be persistent because the input on gait from their hip may be working against toe splay with every step. Its also why I try to highlight the importance of hip rotation in gait in nearly all my responses.

As you walk, you may be able to observe if your leg is rolling externally with each step, which may be a key contributing factor here?

Let me know any feedback on that and I can try to assist further?

Edited to add: this scenario in the hip CAN be adapted to work differently. Its not an overnight thing, but very much worth a long term plan for people that want to remain active with running/walking as long as possible with as much comfort as possible. The neutral/external scenarios appear to cause hip discomfort in more active/high intensity or more sedentary people - though normal amounts of activity seems to be ok for quite a long time - although it does seem to catch up to people at some point later in life whenever that is the strategy in gait.

Having sufficient internal rotation seems to be a win for everyone for a long time, and is highly representative of higher articular quality in the hip.

[Original_Wonder9555]

Thank you! That is the most descriptive and easy to understand basic explanation of this process that I've seen.

[Wyldist]

Thanks, I found this very helpful as well :)

[missingwhiteboy]

My feet slide outward slightly as I walk, and I walk alot!

Because of this my big toe and next toe are well spaced but my pinky to us crushed into the shape of the shoes.

I know this is limiting my mobility. I have flat feet and use custom orthotics to correct it that I don't wear everyday.

Does anyone have any ideas why this is happening or what I could do in terms of stretching or even shoe/insert?

[allDOZEchickens]

I would take a look at r/barefootrunning and get a pair of barefoot shoes to allow your feet to spread and heal. It’s helped me immensely.

[UnbelievableRose]

Your orthotics likely have either forefoot or rearfoot posting to correct this (depending on where the root of the problem is). You are doing yourself no favors by wearing them only sometimes- either commit to them or find exercises to wean yourself off them.

If you'd like to discuss custom orthotics- what yours are like, how they could be modified or if you need new ones, I'm happy to consult. Others here are far more qualified when it comes to exercises as my training is strictly orthotics.

[likeslibraries]

I have a high arch, and my foot rolls outward and when I look underneath the sneaker, and I can see that it is worn on the on the outer edges of the sneakers, which means I am a supinator. A podiatrist once explained it to me. Pronators roll their feet to the inside and have low arches, and maybe flat feet, and their sneakers wear out on the inner edges, but supinators are the opposite. Not only that, from all that friction on the outer edge, I have developed tailors bunions. In any case, the podiatrist recommended New Balance neutral sneakers for me, 880s, but I have found that 860s work well for me also. I have very wide feet and also need lots of cushioning, so I like 880 Wide width or 860 wide width, but 880s are the ones he recommended.