Toe, heel and side of foot walking

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Um, I don't know what the toe walking thing is. Where can I read more about this?

I'm an NT and the reason I clicked on this was because it reminded me of something funny.

I used to ask my mom for a ride to see my friends and she'd say, "take the express train."
Me, "?... What?"
My mom, "Take the heel-toe express.
Me, "?... What?"
Mom, "Get off your butt and walk there!"

But all funny childhood stories aside, is this toe walking thing common? This is the first I've heard of it.

I used to tippy-toe walk all the time as a child, now I just walk around on the balls of my feet. I'm a stealth cat on my the balls of my feet. While "standing still" I rock side to side or I go up on the balls of my feet, then up on my toes, back to the balls of the feet, back up on the toes, etc etc etc then back to rocking side to side when my legs get tired.

BF and I went to his mom and dad's place to finish the final cleaning after reno's today. We had the contractor install wall to wall laminate flooring so we had to clean up afterwards, the whole main floor all empty and clean.... I got caught playing ballerina, spinning around, pacing the whole floor on the balls of my feet, giggling because the echo's were everywhere reflecting off of all the bare surfaces. Thought I was alone...

I despise socks. Around the house, unless it's freezing in the house I eschew socks altogether. I tend not to toe walk in socks, I wipe out going around corners.

When I go out I usually wear high end skateboard shoes because they have really thick gelly soles and they are really comfy (as far as shoes go) I can't toe walk in those, physics doesn't support it.... I have a pretty messed up gait, I walked slightly bow-legged right from the start, all my toes have been broken more than once (I'm clumsy?/poor situational awareness?), I broke my right knee a couple of times and my back.... I sit half lotus most of the time, it's super uncomfortable to sit normally.

When driving standard I wear el cheapo dollar store $5 shoes, they fit like a glove and they have a super thin sole so I can feel the pedals/car through my feet so I can heel-toe the clutch, gas and brake.

Martha, you heel toe drive? I do too! I got size 12 shoes and I wear $25 (cheap) Adidas sambas and I put the ball of my foot on the brake and gas. Do you put the ball on the brake and the heel on the gas?

Sometimes, other times I just split the pedals between evenly my right foot (I have pedal covers to make the pedals closer together)

I just got a pair of those. VivoBarefoots, they're usually quite expensive, least 60-70 bucks, but I got a pair at Marshalls for either $25 or $30. They're pretty much the best shoes I've owned. Before that, my favorite shoes were Pumas in that sorta pattern of shoe, these are basically like the Pumas but lighter and with thinner soles for better feel. Before that, I had a pair of Walmart $3 Vans knockoff shoes, and I wore those for a year until I put holes in the canvas and sole. But yeah, I like a nice thin soled shoe without a lot of "support." I tried recently getting a pair of New Balance running shoes, and my feet hurt (basically mild plantar fasciitis) within like 2 days of owning them, never again will I buy some big paddy soled kinda shoe, no no.

For me, though, shoes never made a huge difference driving a manual. Like I'd prefer to wear shoes over boots, but that's about it. The worst shoes ever for manual driving, though, flip flops! I used to have to drive my sister to summer school every morning at like 8:30, and I'd be barely awake and not have any coffee yet and would be in pajama pants and flip flops while driving, flip flops and a manual isn't a good combo, nothing dangerous happened from it thankfully, and I got more used to it as time went on, but yeah. That manual Supra I had, too, the clutch was about as hard to disengage as a Mustang, and the shift bushings were all screwed up, so basically it had a rock crusher feeling tranny. Fun times. I'd rev the piss out of that thing, too, I loved hearing my I6.

martha, I could never turn my right foot enough to get the heel over the gas, 6'1 in an 1994 integra.

At 21, I fractured my left foot, didn't know and I walked on it for 3 weeks. I thought it was sprained but the pain increased terribly. After a year I tried to play in my rigorous intermural soccer league. I was in terrible pain after a month and I got worried that I might need surgery. I have up the rigorous league . I don't try any rigorous leagues but I'd like to think I've gained wisdom in the strategy field. Idk maybe that's wishful thinking. I have to be picky for shoes or else they'll kill me feat.

How are the vivobarefoots? Are they good for driving? Rock crusher tranny, lol! Toyota has always had this funny cable and bushing system.

Well I think they're fine, but I'm currently only driving an auto Galant right now. On my mom's Ford 500, it felt odd, but that whole car feels crappy, drive by wire, CVT, electric power steering, bleh. I don't know, I think the soles are like 3mm or something like that. But I really like the Vivo Barefoots, they're so far my favorite pair of shoes I've owned. The only thing somewhat odd is they're not flat soled, they bend with your foot well, but in some ways you're more stable on flat surfaces with a flat shoe like a Vans or Converse, but these are pretty much everything I can ask for in a shoe, normally sorta expensive, though. They're LIGHT, too, I like that alot, also. One other complaint I have is the shoes aren't good on oily floors either really.

I'll occasionally toe-walk when barefoot, but I walk on sides of my feet a fair amount. I was checking out the wear patterns on my shoes yesterday; they wear most on the outer edge of the heel, right around the ball of the foot, and along the outer edge of the foot (from walking on the sides of my feet). I know there's a link between toe-walking and AS, but is there one with walking on the sides of your feet?

That's what I'm trying to find out too.

I'd say it's probably another expression of the same underlying causes.

Even from just seeing how many people here wrote that they do that quite often - and I have yet to see anyone from the NT people around me walk on the sides of their feet - I'd say there is a good chance it's somehow related to AS behaviour.

Last edited by Khyrean on 18 Jun 2012, 5:29 pm, edited 1 time in total.

That's what I figured. Thanks

I only do it when I'm stressed or excited.

In my case i walk on the sides of my feet

I walk on my toes when barefoot. When I am still I will stand on the sides of my feet even when wearing shoes.

My son toe walks and hes on the Autistic spectrum,, was once diagnosed with PDD_NOS.. I walk more on the sides of my feet and with them turned out,, Im not a toe walker though... but i have an oddly stiff gait,,, my muscles stiffen up if i try to move fast,, thought it was mild cp until I found about Aspergers.

I walked on my toes(not literally more on the toes and ball of my foot - the front part.) as a kid and was constantly told to walk 'heel toe' instead. I finally got around to walking the 'right' way when I was in my mid teens. I still walk on my toes now and then if I'm not wearing shoes or want to hurry though I'm unsure if walking that way really makes me faster or just seems that way since less of my foot has to touch the ground.

I'm shorter than most in my family so I often raise up on my toes to reach things and to see over stuff when clothes shopping due to my poor eye sight.

As a kid I would for fun or boredom walk (in shoes) on the sides of my feet along the slanted edge of the sidewalk by the street. When I say the sides of my feet I don't mean I walked and put pressure on the sides only but I walked with both feet bent at the ankles and the soles facing toward each other. I'm not sure how I manged it without hurting myself. It slightly uncomfortable compared to 'normal walking' and toe walking(which I felt was the more natural of the three ways). I can't walk on the sides of my feet much now since the supports in my shoes don't allow it and I never cared to do it without shoes on. I have tired it in socks but it hurts more that way. I never did it for more than a few minutes at the time I think.