Walking like a dancer? Stance -- the basics

I have very vivid memories of going to see ballet performances as a young dancer.  Even then I was watching people as they stood and walked, though my alignment knowledge was sorely lacking and the only thoughts running through my head went something like this: 

"Oh look at those feet -- she's walking with her feet turned out, she must be a dancer.  Oh and look over here, another dancer.  And more feet turned out over here, must be another dancer."

That was the extent of my observational skills.  Thankfully they've improved since then! 

It is true that many dancers, particularly if they have had ballet training, stand and/or walk with their feet pointing outward rather than straight ahead.  But have you ever noticed how many non-dancers do the same thing?  The next time you're among people, take a look at their feet and how they are standing and walking.  You might be surprised!

Why is this important?  There are multiple reasons to align the feet correctly, meaning that the outside edges point straight forward.  However, the one I'm going to mention here relates to the ankle joint in particular.  Your ankle joint, called the talocrural joint in anatomical terms, is primarily a hinge joint.  It is meant to hinge like a trapdoor, with the shin moving closer to and away from the top of the foot.  And as you walk with the feet pointing straight ahead, this hinging motion will happen as it should.  Imagine, however, what happens to that hinge as you walk with your feet turned out.  This is the equivalent of trying to open that trapdoor while twisting the door to face a different direction then the floor.  Or trying to have one half of a notebook face a different direction than the other.

See the buckling?  Imagine the torque, friction, and extra tension that would occur if that were your ankle joint.  Not good.  There is so much tension here that if I let go of one of my hands in this picture, the notebook would realign itself.  In our bodies, the friction from the ground, along with the weight and alignment of the rest of our body, provides the "hands" that are "holding" our feet in this incorrect alignment.  Can we fix it?  Absolutely!

Ever since my realization that walking like a dancer is not all it's cracked up to be, I've been working on realigning my feet, especially once I discovered Restorative Exercise™.  In one of my previous blog posts you witnessed my feet at the ripe old age of eight -- already looking like a dancer.  I am proud to say that I am much closer to a neutral alignment of the feet and the ankle joint.

Not perfect, but getting there (That picture wasn't posed by the way. Okay, actually it was posed, since I'm smiling at the camera.  But my alignment wasn't posed.  I wasn't even thinking about aligning my feet.  Seriously.  And they may still look like dancer feet to you, but they are a whole world of difference to me).

Check out your feet -- how are they aligned?  Remember, you want the outside edges of your feet pointing forwards to ensure the ankle joint is hinging in the right direction.  You can work on this when you're walking, standing, waiting in line, brushing your teeth, cooking oatmeal, slicing an apple, eating pecans, stirring soup . . . yes, I'm hungry.

Work on it.  Don't walk like a dancer.

If you want more anatomical detail, read this.  And if you're hungry for more, then read this.  And if you want even more, search Katy's blog for "foot alignment," "feet," "stance," "walking," etc. and go foot-crazy!