HOW YOU WALK

bertyboy

as i walk with 2 crutches i get told i woddle :shock: so i have decided that no i dont i have decided i swagger or maybe i strut and on a good day i just might amble , what about you in your words

dreamdaisy

I take small steps matched with small movements by the crutches, they are there to steady and balance, not take my full weight. Let's face it, I am now a quadruped, no longer a bi-ped, so walk accordingly! Waddling is not good as that shows your stride is too long and you will be putting other joints under strain. I used to be able to stride out and I would get very impatient with short people with little strides or old people with slow walks as they all got in my way. I am now a mixture of both - serves me right, yes?

hileena111

Well.....I'm still practicing on crutches So not quite sure how I walk.
When I have the 2 I try to walk with small steps and as DD says quadruped....but there are times I get impatient in the house and want to carry things so its hoppity hop on one crutch with something {like a coffee} in the other hand

Love
Hileena

Starburst

Most of my weight is leaned to the left. My recently operated on ankle is dragged slightly behind me and to the side. My knee refuses to bend when my ankle is flat on the floor, so I look very silly. I do have crutches but they make my shoulders hurt. Normally, I'm just a bit stiff and limpy. My walk may be different after some physio.

julie47

oh dear.....am afraid I roll....I am always in a flippin chair or scooter.

madwestie

I am jake the peg(if anyone remembers) i have three legs (well 2 and 1 crutch) I walk leaning to the right to take the weight off my left leg.. i probably should use two crutches but well it took me ages to give in to using a walking stick then one crutch so...

valval

depends got from tin man to wheeble that wobbles must make an interesting site val

skezier

Hi Berty,

I kinda walk like a drunken gorilla who is auditioning for the part of lurch... and thats on a good day Cris xx

weejean

I have walked with crutches for around ten years and to be honest when I am outside I tend to swing on them as it gets me around quicker although it really hurts my arms. When I am indoors I can get around without my crutches and my walk is best described as a shuffle.

traluvie

Well i am a mixture.. It all depends on where arthur wants to strike as to how i walk lol..

I have some days(very few) where i can walk without crutches or sticks..
Other days when my knees are playing up i will often use my walking sticks and waddle along..
Then on the days where my hips are playing up i use my crutches as i can bear my weight on them, very slow moving snail..

dreamdaisy

Drunken gorilla? :shock: Oh skezier, that is so graphic! I have to admit I am roaring with laughter - sorry. :oops: DD

cherrybim

I walk as the ballerina I always was Bertyboy

Feet turned out, tail tucked in, diaphragm lifted, shoulders back, neck extended....and then I awake from my reverie and fall off the stage into the orchestra pit

Cherry x

Ankyspond

Hi all,

I don't use crutches or a stick (yet) but I wobble from side to side when I walk.

It always makes me laugh cos it reminds me of the 70/80s toys weevils (not sure of spelling) the advert used to say "weevils wobble but they don't fall down" that's what they call me at work now and it dose make me chuckle (small things).

Hope it brought a smile to your face if your old enough to remember them. Xx.

stickywicket

I'm a bit of a weevil (weebil?) myself, Ankspond.

Bear in mind my feet stick out in the ten minutes to two position, one ankle is totally locked, the other has about 2 centimetres of movement so, if I stand on even a small stone, or place a foot on anything but dead centre of a cobblestone, I’m in serious danger of heading a over t. (Been there; done that; no wish for repeat.) Hence, in my normal walk I resemble a demented duck with head down watching for small stones. Uphill = bend forwards to counteract slope as ankles can’t. Downhill = lean right back for same reason, otherwise I gain speed alarmingly and the a over t is only possible outcome.

However, give me a long, absolutely flat, predictable surface (Hospital corridors are fantastic) and I stand up tall, throw my shoulders back, pull my tummy in and just love it so much that I opt to walk on many an occasion when the state of knees or hips (Plus Mr SW) is indicating the wheelchair as the only sensible option.

Pathetic? Yes. I still look like a demented duck/weebil, but a very happy one.

rugbygirl

I tend to walk like a three legged duck with a limp!!

I have my backside stuck out because I have a very arched back, my knee on my right leg locks so I end up limping and then I have the reliable walking stick to allow me to get from a to be outside. Indoors it is more of a case of holding on to walls and furniture but that is only because I feel that in the one bedroomed flat I need to keep my independence as much as possible. It wont be long before I am relying on my stick to get round indoors the way things are going.

rugbygirl

I tend to walk like a three legged duck with a limp!!

I have my backside stuck out because I have a very arched back, my knee on my right leg locks so I end up limping and then I have the reliable walking stick to allow me to get from a to be outside. Indoors it is more of a case of holding on to walls and furniture but that is only because I feel that in the one bedroomed flat I need to keep my independence as much as possible. It wont be long before I am relying on my stick to get round indoors the way things are going.

Ankyspond

Ha ha, what an image. Xx

chris7

Hi Berty

Interesting thread, and be proud of your swagger you have earned it. I regret I end up most evenings doing an impression of Max Wall (for those of us old enough the remember him!! ) :roll:

Hey Cris don't worry about the gorilla as long as it is the drum playing, blue wrapper one eh!

take care
Chris

dreamdaisy

There is absolutely nothing wring with using a stick indoors Jaki, honestly. If it prevents a fall . . . . . tho some of us can fall whilst sitting!

I agree with chris7 skezier, it has to be the CDM gorilla - ye gods, I can picture it!

How are you getting on bertyboy? Have we helped in any way at all? (Hope so but doubt it!) Are you trying our different styles of gait? DD

tonesp

My wife reckons i walk like a little bird

Pherstun

After I read this post I had to look at how I walk!

I always walk with two sticks outdoors. When nothing much is hurting I walk straight, back straight, feet straight (orthotics are great for that), in small-ish steps else it hurts my hip(s) and only putting light weight on the sticks.

When I'm in pain it depends which part of me is hurting (back, hip, knee, ankle and/or feet) and how much but usually is a limp although still otherwise straight, although sometimes with my ankles it helps to angle the foot out to the side. If both sides are hurting I lean on the sticks more but otherwise walk the same.

If my back is hurting I have to resist the temptation to lean forwards, I know it won't do me any good either for the back or the rest of my joints.

Indoors I don't usually need sticks, I think it's due to the even-ness of the floor and being a steady temperature. I tend to waddle a little/walk more stiff legged than normal, although if I catch myself doing it I correct it. I only use sticks if one of my joints is really playing up, I do a lot of short distance walks with my job, often carrying stuff, so I find it hinders more using a stick when I don't have to.

An interesting analysis!

Debbie

speedalong

Hi Berty,
I sway (no not a sexy bottom sway) but my shoulders sway - most people's shoulders stay level as they walk and my limp becomes more pronounced when I get tired. I tried really hard to walk perfectly after my last op ... but seems this is as good as my walking will get.

Speedy

joanlawson

I'm limping along in an even more ungainly fashion than usual at present because I've got a stress fracture in my right foot, which is on the same side as my arthritic ankle. This combined with the OA in my knees means that I'm hobbling rather than walking anywhere at the moment.

I thought I was beginning to improve a bit until I caught sight of myself in a shop window the other day. Oh what a fright :!: :shock: :shock:

skezier

Hey Joan you never loom at reflections.... lot to be said for being a vampire in that sense xx

Hi Berty,

Up graded today.....

A drunken orangutan who has got the part of lurch already ((((( ))))) and a hope your ok? Cris xx

bubbadog

I walk with two crutches (the ones with arm clips and hand sticks, the ones hospitals give out when you rip a muscle in your leg or break a leg!) I woddle acorrding to my OH and walk like a penguin! I know I woddle abit depends how my legs and hips are. But a penguin really!! :shock:

bertyboy

thanks for the replys folk makes interesting reading , i do woddle and wobble and have been told my left foot sticks out penguin style but as i am not looking at the way i walk i dont notice that , but in my minds eye i swagger and strut so much better than i woddle