Walking on the balls of your feet

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Taxibot-Joe@reddit

My brother (boomer) and I (gen x) both did this as children and have carried the habit into adulthood. Our father was an angry and violent man who was always moments away from an outburst. Not autistic, just a learned self protection habit from a home where it was always better to be neither seen nor heard.

My sister-in-law asked why her husband moves so quietly and cried when I explained it. She had asked him first and he claimed to have no idea, which honestly might be true. Sometimes family trauma gets locked in a box that is never opened.

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ErinGoBoo@reddit

Unfortunately, same. I also had a father that flew off the handle at a moment's notice, which only got worse as he got older. Somewhere along the line, I taught myself how to "be smaller" as it were. And I still walk on the balls of my feet to this day. People hate it because I really am nearly silent and am really good at sneaking up on people.

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Taxibot-Joe@reddit

yep yep

I used to call myself “the world’s fattest ninja”, but since I’ve dropped a hundred+ pounds, I’m just an averagely overweight ninja.

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ErinGoBoo@reddit

I'll steal the title. 😆 Congrats on the weight loss!

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Taxibot-Joe@reddit

Thank you, my friend!

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texicali74@reddit

Have you always done it? My teenage son has, but he was diagnosed on the autism spectrum when he was 3.

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fatkidclutch@reddit (OP)

Ive done it ever since I can remember. I never thought it was odd until someone else got excited to see me do it because they do it too

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seguefarer@reddit

I do it too, though not as extreme as many of the neurodivergent kids I've worked with over the years. I do a ball->heel step, then push off as normal. I've been told many times that I sneak up on people, but I hate to hear myself take a step. I feel like an elephant climbing around.

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Particular_Youth7381@reddit

Same here! I walk sort of on the outside of my feet, but not in a major way. I just hate to sound heavy.

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Stefgrep66@reddit

Same, all my shoes wear on the outside of my feet. I still have knee problems associated with it.

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spy_tater@reddit

I got it in my head as a toungun that native Americans walk this way or pinky toe first in order to be quiet while hunting. I walk like this to this day.

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Blue_Henri@reddit

We must have seen the same Daniel Boone episode because I do this for the same reason.

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Chuckitybye@reddit

Uh... are you me? I swear I'm super loud, but I startle people constantly

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curmudgy_jones2@reddit

My grandmother tried to teach me to walk that way to be more "lady-like". It didn't take.

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kelkely@reddit

My daughter is an idiopathic toe walker too.

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CrowsSayCawCaw@reddit

I did as a child because the tendons running up the back of my legs from the heels have always been short and tight. My pediatrician had to explain this problem to my parents when I was a little kid. Tight tendons is why my calf muscles can feel tired and sore easily.

Because I could walk high on the balls of my feet I could get high up on my tippy toes when I took ballet as a child. Never could toe dance en pointe because of weak ankles though.

These days I can't walk on the balls of my feet anymore easily or comfortably due to aggressive arthritis in my ankles and feet.

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DisastrousTurn9220@reddit

I've done it since I was a kid too! It used to drive my grandfather crazy; he tried to break me of it one summer when I was visiting, but toe walker to this very day lol

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Key-Regret-7812@reddit

I have always done it, and I'm an old lady. I still do it immediately after waking up but once I walk it off, loosen the joints a bit it's far less pronounced. I was teased about it like crazy until I learned to force my heel down. If I'm not thinking about it, and the beeper in thought I go, the higher my heels go.

But interestingly, my son has ASD. I'm neurotypical. But I'm suddenly questioning that.

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Just_Plain_Beth_1968@reddit

Until I had a daughter who was ADHD and on the spectrum, I didn't realize I was also. We were never diagnosed, we were just the quirky kids.

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alwayssearching117@reddit

Talks too much and does not use time and materials wisely were consistently checked off on my report cards.

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agentmkultra666@reddit

Yeahh my report cards looked like this too. And shockingly I learned in my mid to late 30s I have autism and ADHD.

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alwayssearching117@reddit

My friend (really, lol) is in her late 20s and was just diagnosed with the same. If you don't mind me asking, were you looking for answers to something, or was this a suggestion from a PCP/other doc?

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agentmkultra666@reddit

People started talking a lot more about both within the past 5 years, mentioning symptoms that weren’t the stereotypical ones - and I was like, wait a minute…. So i went down a long research rabbithole

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PhiloLibrarian@reddit

😳 oh the realizations are realizing…shit.

I (46F) sometimes walk on the balls of my feet but thought that it was because I have back problems and I am very tall/big. I’ve taken to wearing those foamy house slippers just to protect my feet from the plantar fasciitis that I have too, so clearly, I’ve got a lot going on… 🤣

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Wyndeward@reddit

Females mask better, for reasons.

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NorseGlas@reddit

Autism wasn’t recognized as autism until you were non functional in our days.

I can go through myself and my friends these days and point out all the signs.

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Timely-Researcher264@reddit

Some people with ASD toe walk, but some people without ASD also toe walk. It is not diagnostic.

There is a familial type of toe walking that is not associated with other diagnosis. Watch for concerns with shortened hamstrings and pain under the balls of your feet (as we age those protective fat pads on the bottom of our feet get thinner). Otherwise consider it one of the many quirks of being human and carry on.

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Mental-Artist-6157@reddit

It presents differently in women.

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Rubberbangirl66@reddit

This

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babycatcher2001@reddit

Same with one of my kids- the only one on the autism spectrum

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251Cane@reddit

The 'tism bop

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DisastrousTurn9220@reddit

Hmmm, I've always done it. Diagnosed with ADHD, I wonder if it's related.

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eatingganesha@reddit

indeed it is. A lot of people with ADHD are on the autism spectrum.

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DisastrousTurn9220@reddit

My dad definitely had something going on, so I wouldn't be terribly surprised.

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matteroverdrive@reddit

This answer...

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calypsobloom@reddit

Yes, and I was told I have the knees of a 30 year old by a rheumatologist. I tried to train myself out of it for a while but it didn’t feel right so I just accepted I’m bouncier than most. I’m stealthily quiet though!

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Johnny-Virgil@reddit

How old are you? I’m trying to figure out if the knees of a 30 year old is a good or bad thing.

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calypsobloom@reddit

51

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Johnny-Virgil@reddit

Good on ya then!

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SpicyRitas@reddit

They gotta be 45-60 since they’re in this group. Unless they’re one of the adjacent groups that wanna claim being a GenX’er.

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Johnny-Virgil@reddit

Oh right! I’m old, I lose track of where I am sometimes.

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SpicyRitas@reddit

Same here LOL

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ShimmyxSham@reddit

Just walk like a normal person

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CaptainQueen1701@reddit

Tip toe walking is an autistic trait.

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ProfessionalJaded891@reddit

Sneaky

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TaxiLady69@reddit

I do, but it's because if he doesn't hear me, he won't beat me or some other form of torture. I got caught running up the stairs once. My stepfather made me walk up-and-down the stairs for about 8 hours in my snow suit, snow boots, and a toque until I fell to the floor.

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AmorFatiBarbie@reddit

I'm so sorry. He was a monster.

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TaxiLady69@reddit

He was a monster. But I have an amazing life now. My children and grandchildren have never had to tiptoe around anything.

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Humble-Membership-28@reddit

They say it’s a neurodivergent thing.

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7LeagueBoots@reddit

If you grew up barefoot or outdoors a lot it’s a natural way to walk. It’s quiet and it reduces impact on your joints.

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CrustyBatchOfNature@reddit

Yeah. I walk "normally" most of the time but when I got outside with no shoes it is immediate toe-walking.

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wyocrz@reddit

Or if your parents are ninjas.

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Uranus_Hz@reddit

I grew up in the woods in the 70s. Watched a lot of kung fu movies. I also have flat feet. I walked on the balls of my feet for decades but honestly at this point in my life, my calves can’t do it anymore.

FWIW, those “five finger shoes” everyone made fun of were the greatest shoes I ever had. Perfect for walking through the woods on the balls of your feet.

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SolomonGrumpy@reddit

🥷🥷

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tesky02@reddit

I do it to be quiet at night. Heel walkers as loud AF.

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7LeagueBoots@reddit

Shhh…. we don’t talk about that.

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relikter@reddit

This was my first thought too. I walk very differently in shoes than barefoot when outside.

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Prestigious_Stay7162@reddit

Definitely related to sensory processing. It's usually diagnosed and treated in kids these days because it can lead to shortened Achilles tendons, issues with leg development, back problems, and balance problems or pain in later life.

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CrowsSayCawCaw@reddit

You can actually be born with the tendon issues that make walking on the balls of your feet more comfortable. It's not always the other way round. That's what happened with me. I was born with short Achilles tendons according to my childhood doctor, so that's why I walked on the balls of my feet starting as a very young child. As a child, at home I often ditched my shoes a lot and just wore socks or went barefoot and toe walking was much more comfortable, didn't cause calf pain.

Unfortunately when we were kids they didn't send children with short tendons to physical therapy or do tendon surgery.

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HLOFRND@reddit

My friend’s daughter did this and she spent YEARS in casts/splints to get her to stop.

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GenX-Kid@reddit

We just went through serial casting, AFOs and night time splints and going to Physical Therapy. It took about 6 months but it’s cleared up. We still run through her exercises regularly. In the long run it can lead to abnormal bone alignment in the feet which can be difficult or impossible to correct once it goes too long. Good job in addressing it!

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Prestigious_Stay7162@reddit

Wow that sounds extreme. When one of my kids went through pt for sensory related toe walking it involved lots of fun stuff like walking on trampolines and squishy surfaces and a lot of stretching and bending and stuff..

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HLOFRND@reddit

I think they let it go too long before addressing it, and it got to the point where there was no other choice but to make it impossible for her to do it.

It wasn’t just a sensory thing. I think she ended up with the shortened tendons like someone else mentioned. So she’d have casts on at one angle for 6-8 weeks (I believe) and then they’d take them off and replace them with a slightly different angle, and they kept repeating this until she finally could stand/walk flat footed.

They are long distance friends, so I might have the timeline a little off, but I know when she finished everything and could just wear regular shoes and no braces or casts they had a big party for her. She was in elementary school by this point.

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haileyskydiamonds@reddit

We had a toddler in our daycare who did this, and we were supposed to encourage her not to do it because she was already having some issues.

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RattledMind@reddit

There’s a link to neurodivergence, but not all of them do it. There’s idiopathic toe walking, CP, MD, and other medical conditions that can attribute to it.

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erst77@reddit

Yep, my kid is an idiopathic toe walker. He started doing it when he was 5 or 6, still does it sometimes, although he's working on not doing it anymore.

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flowerqu@reddit

Some children are just born with equinus deformity with an absence of neurodivergence.

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middle_age_zombie@reddit

Yeah,I’m ND but I only do it when I am carrying something heavy. Not sure why, you’d think it would be the opposite.

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GDufner@reddit

As an educator, it’s something we watch for if we have suspicions of neurodivergence.

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Prestigious_Rain_842@reddit

I have a friend that teaches primary school special education, and she has told me that many times.

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she_slithers_slyly@reddit

This and a couple other OCD-level feet quirks.

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Curufindir@reddit

My wife does this often. If she is walking barefoot in the house flat-footed, I know she is completely at ease. This happens once in a blue moon.

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Nom-de-Clavier@reddit

I do, when barefoot, always have (I was also diagnosed with ASD when I was 25).

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Zheeder@reddit

Dude here,

I live in a wooden box on the top floor, connected to other wooden box. While home I walk on the balls of my feet, because I'm considerate of my neighbour below me.

She walks on her heels, and I can tell exactly where she's walking due to the dull thud. I'd talk to her about it but wouldn't want her to take it the wrong way, even though she's a healthy weight.

But outside of home I'm a clydesdale.

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NerdyComfort-78@reddit

Same- I tip toe around because my spouse sleeps in later than I do and we have wood floors.

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uninspired@reddit

I live in a house with no downstairs neighbors. I walk on the balls of my feet inside because the stompy sound of people walking on their heels drives me nuts. I can hear my wife and kid walking around inside the house when I'm outside.

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Kaa_The_Snake@reddit

Y’all must live upstairs from me 😋

But seriously, if she walks that heavily look at getting her slippers with some padding in them. I wear ones with arch support. Not for the neighbor’s sanity, but for her future-self’s knees and ankles.

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Lurky100@reddit

The world needs more people like you who are self aware.

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Fishermansgal@reddit

Low estrogen makes our tendons less flexible. The only thing that has helped my Achilles tendons is a no carb diet and eating once a day. I'm allowing my insulin to go down which lets estrogen go up.

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SlowPokeInTexas@reddit

I am a former sprinter and used to do it out of habit even when walking, but post 50 I don't do it naturally anymore (Achilles tendon issues played a role).

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cl0ckw0rkman@reddit

Me(49m) and my son(21) both walk on the balls of our feet. I do it to help keep my flexibility and helps me with my balance. Not all the time. But a lot.

I like to walk up stairs and get a full stretch, going up on the balls of my feet and letting the heels dip down below the edge of the stairs. Full up and down range.

I also will just stand up straight as I can, while waiting for the microwave to finish, on the balls of my feet. Keep keep flexing the calves.

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Sensitive-Question42@reddit

I do it too and have done since I was a child.

For me it was an anxiety thing, trying to sneak around and being quiet so I didn’t draw attention to myself.

It eventually became a habit and, ironically, drew attention towards me instead of away from me.

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TheRealLosAngela@reddit

I do it because my dad pounded into me and my brother to walk quietly when we lived in upstairs units. However, both my dad and brother just naturally have this bounce when they walk so I think he was teaching me to walk like him. I don't bounce like they do though. I have my own style of walking 🚶🏼‍♀️

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Upstairs_Fudge_9982@reddit

As a 50 year old gay man, I still do it although not all the time. Usually if I am trying to be quiet, which I am very quiet at home, usually so I dont wake up my husband.

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BuffyBubbles1967@reddit

My so 23 y/o son does. It has something to do with his bones and tendons growing at different rates.

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MyriVerse2@reddit

I do. And my father did. His nickname was Skippy because he looked like he was skipping.

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jcr21090_74@reddit

I do when I'm going up steps but otherwise not

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seattleforge@reddit

What kind of shoes do you wear? Does wearing different shoes change this?

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kalelopaka@reddit

I’ve done it for years. I think it was my boxing training when I was young. You generally move around on the balls of your feet and only plant them when striking. I really never thought about it until I was rehabbing from a leg surgery. Walking with a walker and cane made me realize how hard it was to walk without being on the ball of my foot.

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ubermartimus@reddit

Do you make fists with your toes after an airplane ride too?

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Cool-Coffee-8949@reddit

I’ve always been confused about which part of my foot that even is.

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Effective_Pear4760@reddit

The widest part, probably. The big structure where your toes meet your foot and there's a big fat pad underneath.

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Effective_Pear4760@reddit

I used to do it when I was a kid, but only when I ran. Currently my feet aren't strong enough, and I'm doing physical therapy to strengthen and lengthen my calves & hamstrings to help my knees, and strengthen my feet and ankles for the same reason.

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Ok_Researcher_9796@reddit

My son does this. can't even get him to walk normally for more than a minute.

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SalamanderTight5378@reddit

Me. Except no one noticed because it was so slight, until I had a stress fracture in my foot about 9 years ago (in my 40s) and I was put in a walking boot. Boy did I notice it then - my butt muscles hurt because the boot forced me to walk heel to toe. I also had 6 months of physical therapy working on it, and I still have to do exercises to keep my calves from getting too tight.

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Effective_Pear4760@reddit

Yikes! My boot made my knee hurt. I think it was the angle it rolled at that was not the same as the angle my upper leg describes when I walk. Also, it made my legs different lengths, so my hips were pretty uncomfortable, too.

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denzien@reddit

I just saw someone at the grocery store doing this. It's not the first person, but I wonder how strong their feet and calves have to be to do this all the time.

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TheSwedishEagle@reddit

Yes. It’s a neurodivergent thing.

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Unusual_Kick2244@reddit

I do too, walking has always been toe and then more toe for me, big calves to prove it, but they're solid lol

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DreadPirateWade@reddit

My wife & I both walk on the balls of our feet. We’re both musical theater kids, and she also took years of dance. I played soccer all through school. We both also trained in different martial arts styles for years — her focus is Asian and mine is European. I think the only time I’m on the balls of my feet is when I’m standing still. If I’m moving I’m on the balls of my feet.

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BetMyLastKrispyKreme@reddit

Do you mean the only time your on your heels is when you’re standing still?

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DreadPirateWade@reddit

Oh no, I mean flat footed. I have as close to having flat feet as you can get. Wearing any shoe with an arch physically hurts. There are four shoe brands I know I can wear with zero problems. Adidas, Doc Martens, Dansko clogs & loafers (Chef in a past life), and TOMS.

My favourite way to describe how flat footed I am is this. Harrison Ford looks more graceful when he runs than I do. Yes that waaaay more than probable.

gif

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candykhan@reddit

Not all the time. But I often do when it's very quiet. In my head, I'm not trying to be sneaky, I'm just trying not to disturb the existing peace. But I can see it coming across as sneaky.

At first I thought it was a societally gendered thing. And it made sense that I did since I'm trans. But then I started noticing that lots of women actually did not do that.

I think it probably stems from a combination of many things for me. Not wanting to "disturb the existing peace" could also be not wanting to make waves. Something a lot of immigrants & kids of immigrants probably have felt at times.

Also, over the years, I definitely think it's saved me from hurting myself a few times. I'm often just paying attention to my footing a lot. And I've avoided things my friends have stepped right on/into. I'm still clumsy, but my footing is usually good. So that kinda reinforces the behavior.

It's interesting that someone said they thought it was part of their autism diagnosis. I've never been diagnosed. But I recently learned about the "ADHD walk." Which is something I've always done & never thought was out of the ordinary, but apparently it is.

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whisperly_@reddit

My husband (52) does and our daughter (8) does too. We just started PT for her. Not sure about autism for them but I wouldn’t rule it out

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lantanabush88@reddit

Walk how you walk.

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ladyniles@reddit

I do when I’m barefoot.

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Just_Plain_Beth_1968@reddit

Do your heels ever hit the ground or are you always on the balls of your feet? Just curious! The best runners never run heel toe. The ball always hits first and they believe that it makes them faster because it creates less friction and force, hence less sound.

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oldschoolhc@reddit

i do but my toes always crack

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GarnerPerson@reddit

I have neurodivergent kiddos. This is one of the first signs that professionals notice. Back when we were coming up, autism wasn’t dx’d like it is today. Autism didnt come out of no where. It used to have different names and was almost never dx in females.

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VendaGoat@reddit

I used to all the time, but there were reasons for it that I don't want to get into.

Now I default to it if I am barefoot.

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habu-sr71@reddit

Better than being a non-stop Scuffer that is always noise polluting with their inability to pick up their feet when they walk. Sorry, habitual Scuffies chap my hide.

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kalitarios@reddit

people who drag their heels like as slot and when you look at their shoes they're worn down on the corners like this

I used to work with a guy who complained that his back hurt all the time but when he walked, he always just looked at the ground, bad posture and dragged his feet. You could hear it from across the building. Shhhhk, shhhhhk, shhhhk, shhhhk

It drove me nuts how someone had zero self-awareness that they just shuffle-slothed it around everywhere then complained they wore their shoes out and their back hurt.

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AmorFatiBarbie@reddit

I dated a dude who did it and I couldn't stand it. I also can't stand stompers.

Anyone else just find out they have real opinions on this matter?

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No-Access-2790@reddit

I do for the most part. I don’t care much for making noise in my house, or being the source of it elsewhere. I’m not neurodivergent in any way that I’m aware of. I’m just move around quietly. My family sounds like a stampede of zebras. My dogs are even louder. I tend to slink about the house and elsewhere. I am sneaky.

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kalitarios@reddit

I learned to do it as a teen so I could sneak around the house in/out easier. I still do if I'm trying to be somewhat NON-LUMBERING and considerate to others

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Super901@reddit

Most of the folks I knew who did that grew up in abusive households, like, always creeping around an angry parent.

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AmorFatiBarbie@reddit

gif

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bigbammer@reddit

I do it in places that don't have a slab under the floor (post and beam, 2nd floor, etc). I'm a big guy and in my head it sounds like I'm about to shake the house apart, so I walk on the balls of my feet to be quieter.

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AmorFatiBarbie@reddit

That's very considerate of you. 🙂

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just_a_knowbody@reddit

Walking on the balls of your feet is the correct way to walk. If you study cultures that typically go without shoes they tend to take shorter steps and land on the ball of the foot. It’s better on the body because uses your joints and muscles as shock absorbers.

Heel strikes when walking is an only really possible when you have shoes with an adequate heel. It’s harder on the body because landing on the heel uses the skeletal system to absorb the shock.

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Flux_My_Capacitor@reddit

And yet it’s being pushed as abnormal. 🤷‍♀️

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just_a_knowbody@reddit

Big Sneaker gotta make those dollars

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Seymore721@reddit

54M walked like that forever. And I must admit, I have some nice looking calves.

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AmorFatiBarbie@reddit

You 🙂

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AmorFatiBarbie@reddit

My ma couldnt STAND 'clodhoppers' as she called them so we all learned to be quiet walkers.

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Key-Contest-2879@reddit

As a kid I had the nickname “tiptoe”. I was a fast runner, but always on the balls of my feet. Took a conscious effort of will to NOT do that.

Also I’m M56, if that matters.

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tboy160@reddit

Are your calves ripped?

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some_one_234@reddit

Is your name Barbie?

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DragonflyL4dy20@reddit

I have always walked this way when barefoot and wearing heels otherwise it’s heel to toe (was drilled into me during HS marching band).

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CyndiIsOnReddit@reddit

Yep and so do both my kids and we're all three diagnosed with autism. It's causing my daughter a lot of pain now that she has to work on her feet all day.

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secret_someones@reddit

is it like the thing where you bounce when you walk or like you are eternally wearing heels?

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02meepmeep@reddit

Freak? Do they mean Athlete?

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Dangerous_Ad1115@reddit

No not a freak. Must hurt your feet thou

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wojo_lives@reddit

At home I walk lightly. Always have. I'm not ADHD, I'm just fucking polite and shit.

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CynicSixthSense@reddit

OMG! I thought i was alone! Its nice to know im not! Im 46 and I've been walking on the balls of my feet my whole life. When im barefoot my heels never touch the ground.

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blitwin@reddit

I don't think you belong here... She's running out the door!

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Interesting_Whole_44@reddit

First people refer to it as fox walking, taught at a young age as the way to stalk prey

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fatkidclutch@reddit (OP)

Oh wow! That's fascinating!

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Chicagogirl72@reddit

Do you do it because you are in pain? You might need inserts.

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fatkidclutch@reddit (OP)

Nope. I've done it ever since I was a kid.

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SomeCommonSensePlse@reddit

It's associated with autism.

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Meowie_Undertoe@reddit

You're not a freak. I had a boyfriend that did it. It is what it is.

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Mysterious-Being5043@reddit

I did until it was trained out of me in high school marching band.

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mfhandy5319@reddit

I walk on the balls of my feet because I generally wear ear protection. This is because you can muffle noise with ear plugs or head phones, you can't muffle bone conduction. So you laterally hear every step you take.

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Magellan1321@reddit

I’ve always done this since I was a kids. Dunno why

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Potential-Amoeba1902@reddit

Only as a small child. Stopped when I entered Kindergarten, I think.

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tink0608@reddit

I've always done it. Used to get punishment of having to walk the hall flat footed. When I was older my parents said they knew if I'd been drinking bcuz I did it more

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Gloomy_Apartment_833@reddit

In shoes I walk normal. Socks or barefoot I walk on the balls all the time.

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KiloJools@reddit

I do it, because I have a tethered spinal cord. I didn't realize I was doing it, especially since I kept buying high heels to accommodate the issue. I even got heeled slippers at home!

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Flux_My_Capacitor@reddit

I do but it’s not an autism thing, and I’m not on the spectrum, nor do I have ADHD. I don’t have the tip-toe autism walk, I will walk on the balls of my feet in full stride.

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Strange-Fix-2060@reddit

Did you take ballet?

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frozenintrovert@reddit

One of my kids had a friend who walked that way. Incredibly smart, varsity tennis player, all around great kid. I’m not sure if they still walk like that as a 30 something adult, but it wouldn’t surprise me. They definitely weren’t neurodivergent.

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slash-5@reddit

There is a correlation to that and being on the spectrum. Is that possible for you?

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ihatepickingnames_@reddit

I only do it in my apartment because it’s quieter but not when I’m outside or at other places.

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ThrowRAboredinAZ77@reddit

When I was a kid I did because I liked to pretend I was wearing high heels. Now I do it because I have plantar fasciitis that hurts like hell.

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thetascape@reddit

No no no. This is a product of all the ninja movies we were fed. See, ninjas walk with a ball to heel motion to be silent, not the elephant stomp heel to ball of most people.

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ninesevenecho@reddit

Get out of my brain you think thief

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Foggyswamp74@reddit

I do, but that's because when I was a kid my parents would say I sounded like a herd of elephants walking around. Walking on the balls of my feet made my steps quieter.

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Nubadopolis@reddit

Every pair of shoes I have, the part of the sole right below the ball always wears out way before any other part. It sucks! I get maybe 5 months out of a pair before I have to throw them out.

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Redbonius_Max@reddit

These days I’m just trying not to walk on my balls.

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areialscreensaver@reddit

🤪🤪🤪

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brumsk33@reddit

I do it. My son used to. Nobody really made a big deal about it when I was growing up. My son's pediatrician said it needed to be fixed. He wore orthopedic boots for a couple of years and ended up having both Achilles lengthened with surgery.

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Road_Dog65@reddit

I've heard it call "panther walking." I do it unconsciously when walking around the house or barefoot in yard

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Jimathomas@reddit

53 M, and I do when I'm barefoot. If I have anything on my feet, even socks, it's heel first.

Weird, huh?

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Electrical_Feature12@reddit

Apparently I do. It makes more noise I’m told

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FairRinksNotFairNix@reddit

autism v. neurodivergant and uses the pressure for grounding v. wore high heels a lot and shortened your heel cords

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RaspberryFew5475@reddit

My Autism level 2 son does it

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SPacific@reddit

I've always done this while barefoot. I had no idea it was considered a neurodivergent thing until I opened this thread. Hmmm...

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Priapos93@reddit

People have accused me of walking too quietly, and then gotten huffy when I suggested they get their zanshin sorted out

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Avasia1717@reddit

it may be that i do it naturally but i also know i cultivated the habit in order to creep around the house at night and not wake anyone up. i still do it whenever I’m not wearing shoes.

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leggyblond1@reddit

My husband always walked on the balls of his feet, but he was born with a short leg, so he used it to balance himself out. His Achilles and hamstrings were always tight as a result, so as an adult, he couldn't walk flat footed if he wanted to. Then, 2 or 3 years ago, it seemed they seemed to have given out because now he can walk flat footed.

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AdhesiveSeaMonkey@reddit

(57M) I lived in apartments for many years. I don’t walk on the ball of my feet in the way I think you mean (sounds like you mean your heels don’t touch the ground?), but especially when barefoot I walk toe to heel to limit the heel pound. I just learned to do that out of respect for my downstairs neighbors.

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JenninMiami@reddit

I do this and was diagnosed with ADHD 4 years ago. lol It’s so funny to see so many other ADHDers remark that they do it too. I’m constantly finding little “oh that’s why!” things since my diagnosis.

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JollyGiant573@reddit

My son does.

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SolomonGrumpy@reddit

Do you like high heels? 👠

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Temporary_Client7585@reddit

I did this until about 10 years ago, when a family member pointed it out. I’m pretty sure it was trauma-related, trying to be quiet and keep the peace.

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whineybubbles@reddit

I did and have adhd. My son did but has no neurodivergence

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Afraid_Locksmith8642@reddit

Makes you mentally I'll everyone knows that lol. Relax nobody cares. Your fine

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SmokeyFrank@reddit

I have hereditary spastic paraplegia and before I knew I had it (rare genetic condition), sometimes I would be bouncing on my toes but not realizing why. It’s gotten to where I’ve used a wheelchair since mid 2019.

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Schroeder__n8@reddit

I've done it for as long as I can remember too. I never really think too much of it until I hear people around me stomping around the house. It also makes me "very sneaky sir".

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DroneSlut54@reddit

Keeping most of the weight of your foot falls on the balls of your feet or literally walking just on the balls? I do the former - especially on natural surfaces.

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Takara38@reddit

This is the right question. I think some of the commenters are getting confused between the style of walking where you lightly put the ball of your foot down first and actually walking on the ball of the foot or toes only. I had a coworker once with a little boy that would do this. He would start running around and the coworker would yell “no tippies!!!!”

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RaspberryVespa@reddit

Leftover behavior from playing Ninja as kids. Also, totally normal for running barefoot and we played barefoot outside all summer long.

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Hour_Mycologist_5957@reddit

I (49 M) definitely did as a kid. My 3rd grade teacher nicknamed me “ twinkle toes” I don’t think I cared for that at the time. Although I’ve always had pretty developed calf muscles, so that’s a plus.

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CeeUNTy@reddit

I walk on the outside of my feet and grip my toes way too hard. Turns out that I'm neurodivergent.

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Particular_Youth7381@reddit

Yes! Same, same.

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CeeUNTy@reddit

It sucks! It's really hard to have to think about how you're holding your feet every time you walk. I've found it easier if I wear slides and I haven't worn heels in over a decade.

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Affectionate_Bid5042@reddit

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/21017-toe-walking

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Pristine-Beyond-2948@reddit

Now days this would be corrected in childhood but our parents didn’t take us to the doctor for such things

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foilrat@reddit

I have always done it. Got taken to a specialist and was told "he's fine, he's just a toe-walker"

I don't when I'm wearing shoes, as the wear pattern on my heel will attest, but when I'm barefoot, I'm all up on the balls of my feet.

I partially blame that one 20+ years of various martial arts.

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kramwest1@reddit

I did it my entire school career, probably started in early elementary school. I remember wanting to be taller, so I would do it that way. I finally got comments on doing it in junior high and high school.

Now at 52 I have peripheral neuropathy, so I don’t want to walk much at all.

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Fartina69@reddit

I do it going up stairs - always have. My calves are huge.

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millstone20@reddit

As a large man, I walk silently. My small wife however...

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G_Stenkamp72@reddit

Another dude here

We loved in an apartment building my parents owned, making noise of almost any kind was a no no.

I also tried to walk like I was walking on rice paper like 'Kung Fu' of you're GenX, you know.

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Natetronn@reddit

I can think of two brothers I was friends with in high school that do this. One went on to fight in the UFC.

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Negative_Corner6722@reddit

50M here and I walk on the balls of my feet if I’m not wearing shoes. Always have as far as I know.

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Johnny-Virgil@reddit

My bare heels have been 1/2” off the ground for the last 50 years. I only do it when barefoot. Weird, right?

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Amy_Macadamia@reddit

My mom was an old-school yoga teacher. When I was little, she had me walk like that to strengthen my arches

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l_rufus_californicus@reddit

I learned to walk toe-heel at about ten years old, when my father moved into a second floor apartment. Still do when there’s someone living under me.

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bkcarr87@reddit

I swear that was an 80’s thing to walk and bounce on the balls of the feet, in high top sneakers - there’s a great example in the movie Wall Street - when they put the cuffs on Charlie Sheen and leading him out, I think it’s a young pizza delivery guy ankle popping through the scene.

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Lurky100@reddit

I do it because my mother trained in ballet in her youth. So she always walked super softly, and mostly would walk with her weight on the balls of her feet so she wasn’t ever “stomping”. It was a “thing” in my house that you could always tell where my dad was because he was “stomping”. Well, it turns out he was just walking like a normal person and walking heel first. My husband also walks like this and I can hear him walking (stomping) all over the house. I have noticed that I NEVER put my heel down when I go up stairs and it’s always on the ball of my foot.

I kind of wonder if this was a generational thing since women wore high heels on such a regular basis, and as girls we were told to be quiet and dainty. (Long ago…not even genX, but my mom would have been told that).

I also loooove my high heels so my feet are used to walking that way now as an adult. But I did it as a child too, before I was old enough to wear heels. 🤷🏻‍♀️

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menellinde@reddit

I have to consciously force myself to walk heel to toe. When I started working out, my personal trainer gave me heck for walking on the balls of my feet because it's apparently quite bad for you and was a lot of the cause of my shin splints and general discomfort.

It just feels weird to me, and also, I feel like I walk so loudly, even barefoot, walking heel to toe.

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lilsqueakers@reddit

I used to when I was a kid, and a couple years ago I went to physical therapy for foot pain from working retail for 20+ years. The therapist was able to tell.

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Defiant-Date-7806@reddit

Boy, howdy, do i have news for you......You just may have a touch of the 'tism. My autistic daughter walks like that.

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Roddy_Piper2000@reddit

Not a weirdo but you may be autistic. That is a fairly common trait amongst autistic folks.

Source: am Autistic

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eatingganesha@reddit

walking on your toes is a characteristic of autism.

I got screamed at for beat for doing that as a kid. Guess who was just diagnosed with autism at 55?

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digawina@reddit

This was my first thought.

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TheRealCabbageJack@reddit

I do it when I’m barefoot, but walk heel first in shoes

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ZombeeeChik@reddit

I've done for as long as I can remember... I Chalked it up to my dad yelling to not stomp in the house.

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Quick-Leopard-183@reddit

Omg yes!!! Especially if my feet are bare cuz I hate bare feet touching anything

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Left_Guess@reddit

I used to do it..our floors were cold!

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I-eat-late@reddit

Interesting. I [58M] have “walked on my toes” (balls of my feet) for literally my entire life… The more stuff I see - like several responses in this thread - the more it really really makes me wonder about what’s really up with me.

I find myself doing it especially when trying to be non-disruptive and/or quiet and/or when I feel like I am “in the way” - walking through crowds, etc. Quite literally, tip-toeing around.

So many things seem to point to some sort of “neurodivergence” (ADHD, maybe?)… but I have never been evaluated or diagnosed… honestly have no idea where/how to get evaluated or if I should bother, at this age. Anyway, I digress.

As for “toe walking” - I cannot “squat” (like a catcher’s stance), and cannot keep my heels on the floor while squatting down, at all… like, my Achilles seems extra-short! lol .. I’m not sure quite how else to describe it.

Honestly, growing up, I always thought I was just weird!. Well, maybe I am, but seeing this kind of stuff just makes me wonder if there is an actual clinical reason for it! lol

Thanks for the post OP!

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RunRunRabbitRunovich@reddit

I’ve always have done it not sure why just always did🤷🏻‍♀️

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DiligentSwordfish922@reddit

Had a therapy colleague that did this and a patient nick named her "tippy toes"

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edbutler3@reddit

I definitely did it as a kid, and even as an adult I tended to have my weight shifted way forward. I learned to walk more "normally" sometime in my 40s, but I don't really remember the motivation for changing it. It may have been a natural result of getting into powerlifting and having to learn a stable stance.

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Cardchucker@reddit

When I'm not wearing shoes, yes. I don't like the feeling of my heels striking the floor. As others pointed out, it's often an autistic thing.

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JuJuBee_Whoopee@reddit

I used to walk on my toes and I still run on the balls of my feet. My recollection is that it started pretending I had heels on , but I think my parents got me PT due to concerns about short muscles or tendons

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Sauterneandbleu@reddit

I do it around the house all the time. I'm the lightest person on my feet in my house, even though I weigh the most. Why do you think we do it? I always thought it was because I didn't want to disturb my dad

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geodebug@reddit

That’s where you’re supposed to land when you run or walk.

Running barefoot teaches this quickly.

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drhagbard_celine@reddit

Without shoes yeah. With shoes I walk on my heels pretty hard.

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cantthinkofuzername@reddit

I do it because I don’t want to disturb the person who lives below me

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VirusOrganic4456@reddit

This. I did it for decades until I realized it was making me fall. Since I've adjusted to walking more on my heels I haven't fallen once.

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Any_Initiative_9079@reddit

Just be careful not to do it all the time. Can cause plantar fasciitis.

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No_You_4833@reddit

My husband always walked on the balls of his feet. Until both of his Achilles tendons ruptured. He pretty much had to teach himself to walk flat footed after that.

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DecemberPaladin@reddit

I occasionally go digitigrade, sure.

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urbanaut@reddit

It's an early indicator of Autism, if you've been doing it since you were young. I did the same.

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amosc33@reddit

I grew up with a dad who worked night shift every other week. We learned to walk like that so as not to wake him when he slept during the day. I still do it.

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Old_Goat_Ninja@reddit

I know someone who had a child that walked like that. Ended up going through some pretty gnarly surgeries and rehab to correct it. They thought the kid would outgrow it but never did.

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7LeagueBoots@reddit

I grew up spending a lot of time outdoors and was barefoot until I was around 5 or so. Since then I’ve spent a lot of time tracking animals, witting in the outdoors, playing sports and doing martial arts and fencing. Also lived in places with noisy wood floors and lots of stairs.

When I’m barefoot or wearing thing shoes and moving slowly my default is on the balls of my feet. In what’s become our standard shoe now, or when moving more quickly it’s the standard heel-toe.

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some_marc_guy@reddit

55m here that does, and always have. People always want to know how my calves got so developed.

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LastRedshirt@reddit

as autistic person, I walk on the balls of my feet.

The neighbor above me is the opposite. I hear every step at night :|

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grigiri@reddit

I do it when barefoot

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lonerstoners@reddit

One of my kids has always done this, no idea why.

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Kokopelle1gh@reddit

I've always read that it's a sign of autism. Based on observation of people I know, it tracks.

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LahLahTravels@reddit

I did until I was 12. Just felt right

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Prestigious_Rain_842@reddit

I have done it all my life, also in my 50's. Have been told multiple times by many people it is a neurodivergent thing.

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bemenaker@reddit

I used to, but it was to walk silently

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JackFuckCockBag@reddit

There was a gay guy at the prison I was at that walked around on the balls of his feet. Only person I ever remember doing that.

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wynntay@reddit

I did that as a kid.

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SarcasticGirl27@reddit

I was at jury duty earlier this week & I saw a woman walking on her toes & was surprised. Even when I was in school, the one boy who was the shortest in class & walked on his toes had to go to physical therapy to help him to stop. They were concerned about the muscles in his legs not growing properly.

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Antmax@reddit

No I start at the back and roll through my feet, I think some people walk differently depending on where they grew up. I grew up in the countryside outside of London and don't struggle with the outdoors like a lot of city people around here who are quite flat footed. Don't know about balls of your feet, like wearing Invisible shoes with heels or something.

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