My walk

Ask a PT

156 Posts
 
Posted - 09/28/2007 :  09:41:59  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
Our user asked: "I am 18 and just started college. As long as I can remember I have had a distinct walk and can't seem to change it. Basically I walk like a girl, with a lot of swaying of the hips and the rear. This is very degrading and leads most people who don't know me to automatically assume I am gay, which I am not. It kind of hurts personally at times, and I take offense with people judging me before they even know me. I have tried to study in the mirror what I do that makes me walk that way, but I just can't seem to figure it out. Is there anything a Physical Therapist could even do or do I need to see some sort of other professional to have this fixed. I don't want to go through the rest of my life with this kind of "condition". Thanks."

Ask a PT Response: "It is a shame that society is able to make preconceived judgements of individuals without even knowing anything about them. In your case I believe seeing a physical therapist would be the best choice. PT's are trained to analyze gait and determine the reasons for the deviation. Some examples of why you make be walking like that may be that you may have weakness in the muscles of your hips, limited hip joint mobility or limited flexibility at your hips. There could be other factors at well which the PT would be able determine. Based on the findings from the PT he or she would be able to develop the best plan of care for you. The only big problem with seeing a PT is that your insurance company will most likely not cover your visits because it will deem it medically unnecessary. You must have a medical condition/injury, a functional deficit or have safety related issues in order to have PT covered by your insurance company. I hope this helps and I wish you the best of luck."