What is Duck feet posture?
Duck Feet posture refers to a deviation in the way your feet are pointed outwards. (… like a duck)
How can you tell if you have Duck feet posture?
Instructions:
- Stand up.
- Look at your feet.
- If your feet are pointing outwards, then you have Duck feet posture!
This is the easy part. …The difficult part is determining where it is originating from.
What is causing the foot turning?
Note: It is important to understand the EXACT cause of your Duck feet posture. This will determine the specific exercises that you will need to focus on in order to address it.
a) Posterior pelvic tilt
This is where the pelvis rotates in a backwards direction.
You can think of the act of tucking your tailbone under you.
A posterior tilt of the pelvis will ORIENTATE the hip joint outwards which may lead to out turned hips, knees and feet.
Tight/Overactive muscles:
- Hamstrings
- Abdominals
- Gluteal group
Weak/Inhibited muscles:
- Lumbar erectors
- Hip flexors
b) Hip External rotation
This is where the hip joint rotates outwards on the pelvis which may lead to out turned hips, knees and feet.
Note: Hip external rotation can occur in conjunction with posterior, neutral or anterior pelvis.
Tight/overactive muscles: (External rotators)
- Gluteus Maximus
- Posterior portion of glute medius
- Piriformis
- Obturator internus/externus
- Gemellus superior/inferior
Weak/Inhibited muscles: (Internal rotators)
- Pectineus
- Anterior glute medius
- Tensor fascia lata
- Adductor magnus
c) Tibial external rotation
This is where the tibia rotates outwards on the femur leading to out turned shin bones and feet.
Tight/overactive muscles:
- Lateral hamstring
- Biceps femoris
- Lateral calf
Weak/inhibited muscles:
- Popliteus
- Medial hamstring
- Semimembranosus
- Semitendinosus
Note: It is common for this to occur in conjunction with Knee valgus (Knock knee).
d) Limited ankle dorsiflexion
Limited ankle dorsiflexion can force the foot to externally rotate to compensate for the lack of mobility. (… especially during walking)
This leads to out turning of the feet.
Tight/overactive muscles:
- Gastrocnemius
- Soleus
- Plantaris
- Achilles tendon
e) Foot pronation
A collapsing medial arch of the foot may result in out turned feet.
Tight/overactive muscles:
- Peroneus longus
- Peroneus brevis
- Peroneus tertius
Weak/inhibited muscles:
- Tibialis posterior
- Tibialis anterior
- Plantarfascia
- Flexor hallucis longus
- Flexor digitorum
f) Structural issues
Changes to the structure of bones/joints that encourage the out turning of the feet can result in Duck feet posture.
These are not easily corrected by exercise.
The main ones related to Duck feet posture…
Femoral retroversion:
This involves the angle between the femoral head and femur body being wider than normal.
As a result, the foot turns outwards to better position the femoral head in the hip socket.
Tibial torsion (external):
The knee joint is structured in a way where the tibia is naturally sits in an externally rotated position as compared to the line of the femur.
g) Combination of all of the above
In most cases – it is the net result of multiple postural deviations (including others that are not mentioned above) that can lead to duck feet posture.
Why is Duck feet posture a problem?
… How can you move properly if your feet aren’t even in the right position?
As the feet are your base of support, out turned feet may lead to undesirable compensations throughout the whole posture.
As result, it may predispose you to conditions such as:
- Lower back: Disc bulges, Sciatica
- Hip: Piriformis syndrome, Groin strains
- Knee joint: Meniscal injury, Premature osteoarthritis
- Foot: Plantarfasciitis, Big toe bunion, Achilles tendinopathies
Exercises to fix Duck feet posture
The content presented on this blog post is not medical advice and should not be treated as such. It is not intended to be used as a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis or treatment. For more information: Medical disclaimer.
1. Posterior pelvic tilt
a) Hamstring releases
Instructions:
- Place your hamstrings on top of a massage ball/foam roller.
- You should use a suitable amount of bodyweight.
- Make sure to cover the whole area.
- Each side takes 2 minutes.
b) Upper hamstring stretch
Instructions:
- Whilst standing, place your leg in front of you.
- Lower hamstring stretch: Keep your knee slightly bent.
- To move forward at the hip joint, tilt your head to the side.
- Your back should be straight.
- Keep your foot pointed.
- Keep your foot pointed.
- For 1-2 minutes, stretch.
- You can do this on both sides.
c) Standing pelvic tilts
Instructions:
- Stand with your hips stacked directly over your ankles.
- Perform an anterior pelvic tilt
- “Imagine your pelvis is a bucket and is tipping forward.”
- Hold for 10 seconds.
- Relax into a neutral pelvic position.
- Do this 30 times.
2. Hip External rotation
a) Glute releases
Instructions:
- Place your gluteal region on a massage ball.
- Use a suitable amount of body weight.
- Use circular motions.
- Make sure to cover the whole area.
- Each side takes 2 minutes.
b) Glute stretch
Instructions:
- Sit down on the edge of a chair.
- Place your foot on the top of one leg’s knee.
- Sit as tall as possible as to create an arch in your lower back.
- While maintaining the arch, move your knee toward the opposite shoulder.
- Keep this motion for 60 seconds.
c) Strengthen Hip internal rotators
Instructions:
- Stand up with your legs slightly bent.
- Keep your feet pointed forwards.
- Place a block under your knees.
- The block should be wide enough to keep knees pointing forwards.
- As hard as possible, squeeze your knees together.
- Keep this position for 20 seconds.
- Repeat five times.
… Do you want to improve your hip mobility? Feel free to check out this post: Exercise for Hip Internal Rotation.)
3. Tibial external rotation
a) Lateral hamstring releases
Instructions:
- Whilst sitting on the floor, place a massage ball underneath the outside part of the back of your knee. (see above)
- Proceed to apply pressure onto the ball.
- Straighten and bend your knee.
- Continue for 1 minute.
b) Popliteus strengthening
Instructions:
- Sit down with your hip/knees bent at 90 degrees.
- Keep your knee pointed forwards.
- You can also hold the knee straight with your hands.
- Turn your shin bone inwards
- (Internal rotation of the tibia bone)
- Make sure your foot does not lift off the ground.
- Repeat 30 times.
- Continue on the opposite side.
c) Knee push outs
Instructions:
- Stand up with your feet facing forwards.
- Keep your knees bent and push your knees forwards.
- Keep your feet flat on the floor.
- Aim to feel your foot arch and glute muscles activate.
- For 30 seconds, hold the position.
- Repeat five times.
- You can place a resistance band between your knees to make the exercise harder.
4. Limited ankle dorsiflexion
a) Calf release
Instructions:
- Place your calf muscle on top of a foam roller/ball. (see above)
- Put your other leg on top and apply pressure down towards the foam roller. (if required)
- Roll your leg from side to side.
- Make sure you cover the whole muscle
- Do this for 1-2 minutes each side.
b) Calf stretch
Instructions:
- Place the ball of your foot as high as possible against a wall (see above)
- Keep your heel planted on the floor.
- Keep your knee straight.
- Your ankle should be straightened.
- Aim to feel a deep stretch sensation at the back of the calf.
- Hold for 1-2 minutes.
c) Joint mobilisation
Instructions:
- Place your foot onto a stool.
- Using your body weight, proceed to plunge forward as to place pressure on the front ankle.
- Throughout your movement, keep the heels of the front leg in contact the stool.
- Repeat 30 times.
- Note: You can use a resistance band (as set up as above) to encourage more joint movement
5. Foot pronation
a) Peroneal release
Instructions:
- Place the outside of your lower leg on a massage ball.
- Place the ball on top of your lower leg.
- Make sure to cover the whole outer side of the lower leg.
- Draw circles with your ankle to increase the release.
- Duration: 1-3 minute
b) Arch strengthening
Instructions:
- Stand with your feet facing forwards and shoulder width apart.
- Whilst keeping your toes relaxed, proceed to scrunch the under-surface of your foot.
- Imagine your big toe dragging backwards.
- Aim to feel a strong contraction of the muscles underneath your foot.
- Hold this for 5-10 seconds.
- Repeat 20 times.
- (… if it feels like you are going to get a cramp under your foot, you are doing it correctly!)
c) Leaning with arches
Instructions:
- Stand with your feet shoulder width apart.
- Throughout the exercise, keep your arches raised.
- (see the above exercise: Arch strengthening)
- Keeping your legs straight, lean your whole body forwards from the ankles.
- You will need to dig your toes into the ground to prevent you from falling forward.
- You can perform this exercise in front of a wall if you feel you are going to fall forward.
- Use your feet/toe muscles to prevent yourself from falling and return to the starting position.
- Repeat 10 times.
6. Bringing it all together
… What’s the point of doing these exercises if they don’t translate to what’s important to you?
In addition – I would also recommend that you attempt to keep your feet straight (without forcing it) whilst standing, walking, exercising etc.
(This is easier said than done… but do what you can do!)
With time, consistency and effort, it will be come more natural for you to place your feet in the neutral position.
“… MARK! What happens if only ONE foot is pointing outwards?”
There are 2 situations where this can occur.
1. You have a 1 sided issue: If this is you, just complete the above exercises on the appropriate side only.
2. Your pelvis is rotated: A twisted pelvis can result in one out turned foot.
In this case, check out this post: Exercises to fix a Rotated pelvis.
FAQ:
Q: What causes externally rotated feet?
A: Externally rotated feet are typically caused by tightness in the hip muscles (particularly the internal rotators) or legs. Conditions like femoral anteversion in babies can also cause the feet to turn outward.
Q: How can I fix externally rotated feet?
A: Some ways to help correct externally rotated feet include stretching the hips and internal rotators regularly, doing exercises to strengthen the glutes and external rotators, wearing orthotics, getting physical therapy, or, in severe cases, seeing a pediatric orthopedist.
Q: When should I be concerned about my child’s externally rotated feet?
A: See a doctor if the feet are rotated more than 30 degrees outward or if the child favors one leg. Also, see a doctor if the condition isn’t improving after six months to a year of stretches and exercises. External rotation that interferes with walking or causes pain may require orthotics, bracing, or surgery.
Q: What stretches can help externally rotated feet?
A: Some effective stretches include seated leg rotations, figure-4 stretches, clam shells, monster walks, and child’s pose. Stretches should be done 2-3 times daily, holding for 30 seconds. Proper form and not bouncing is important to avoid overstretching.
Conclusion:
Duck feet posture is a postural presentation where the feet are turned outwards.
There are many possible causes. These include the hips, pelvis, knee, ankle, foot, or pelvis. (… or even a combination of)
It is important to understand what is causing your duck feet posture as this will determine the exact exercises you should do to correct it.
You should only do the exercises if your foot is not turned.
