Joe A Shaw PA-C - 9/5/2008

Question
Hi iam 41 yrs old in good health. I have noticed a change in my gate since wearing flip flops and sandles alot I have heard this can change your gait. What can i do at home to correct this,  I have stopped wearing them

Answer
Kim,
That's an interesting question and I guess I never have really heard that. If you think about it we are born of course w/o shoes..ie we were made to really walk barefoot..similar as w flip flops. If you look at tribes across the world who walk barefoot their gait is the "natural gait" you would have. So when you say it changed my gait, you might be doing your natural gait..but yrs of wearing heels or shoes etc...actually changed your gait early on in the first place. Gait also depends on whether you are knocked knee or bow-legged to varying degrees.
At any rate if you are not having problems or pain etc..I don't know that I would be all that concerned about it. A cheap thing you could do and I just did for kicks was go to Wal-Mart and now Dr scholles sp? has this computer platform thing you stand on and it tells whether you have too much pronation or supination (inward or outward turn) of your feet and this of course can effect your gait. So then it gives you a no# of the type of inserts you need to correct this for about $40. A Podiatrist or pedorthoist would charge $300-600 for custom insoles.