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Venting a little...Partner shuffles as he walks

Posted by ellerbracke @ellerbracke, Dec 5, 2019

Why can’t men lift their feet when walking? Used to drive me nuts when my aging father in his carpet slippers dragged his feet around the house, then my athletic teenage sons also could not possibly lift their tired feet off the ground when walking indoors, and now I have a very well preserved husband who can run rings around most contemporaries on the tennis courts, but is incapable of lifting his feet long enough not to make the swishing noise every time he takes a step. Yes, I gently point this out, but it seems ingrained. Is this a male thing?

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craycray | @craycray | Oct 6, 2022
In reply to @imallears "@ellerbracke Hi, This is funny...sometimes. A lot of elderly (male and female) shuffle because of a..." + (show)
@imallears

@ellerbracke
Hi,
This is funny...sometimes. A lot of elderly (male and female) shuffle because of a host of aging , medical and balance problems. My very active, fast walking dad only dragged his feet at home. Mom always complained and he said he was tired. I can’t recall any young people doing that. But I have noticed that elderly men seem to do that more often. Also that seems to be a trait in men of all ages. My guess is that , when that happens, they are thinking about something and forget how to walk properly....sort of like doing two things at once.....and they can’t. Or, for some, maybe just laziness.
Would drive me nuts if I had to live with a shuffler.
Any daggers or shufflers out there ?

FL Mary

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Stuck living with MIL.
It lets me know when she's coming!

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LaChay Moses | @lachaymoses | Oct 7, 2022

LOL! Hilarious. This gave me flashbacks to my grandmother yelling, "Pick up your feet!" as I'd shuffle along on her plastic runners that lined her long hallways.

Good times. This made me chuckle with nostalgia.

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ohforcryingoutloud | @ohforcryingoutloud | Oct 7, 2022

When I wear slippers indoors in the wintertime, I hear my own feet "shuffle" on the bare floors, and I hate it. But it's the slippers, the heels hanging below my feet. In a tennis shoe, it doesn't happen. Female, btw. And yes, I've worked with men who drag their feet, one in particular, his habit picked up dramatically after his mother passed, whom he lived with for 60+ years. All his bad habits came out then, tenfold! Maybe have your fella wear tennies? They don't drag so well, but instead get stuck on the floor if you drag.

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eydieaks | @eydieaks | Dec 22, 2024
In reply to @imallears "@hopeful33250 Hello, I knew about this particular symptom of Parkinson’s. What’s so great about the Mayo..." + (show)
@imallears

@hopeful33250
Hello,

I knew about this particular symptom of Parkinson’s. What’s so great about the Mayo Forum is what we learn every time we log on.
I don’t think there are many people that I know who are aware of the medical reasons for shuffling and may attribute it solely to old age. I know that it was not a medical condition for my dad because he was a character in his own way and could be lazy about personal things. He used to laugh when my mom brought it up and I swear he did it intentionally at times just to get a rise out of her. He also didn’t tie his shoelaces a lot lol. Now I just learned about them Big and Loud program and I can go forward and educate others if the topic arises. How great is that .

FL Mary

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I don’t think it’s a medical condition for my significant other either, because he doesn’t do it in the hard floors, only the carpet. Which, having owned a flooring store and selling yards and yards of carpet drives me absolutely nuts because if I say something he gets nasty with me. I’m thinking of applying packing tape to the bottoms of his slippers to stop the friction it creates but fear he would fall down the steps. 😖

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nonobaddog | @nonobaddog | Dec 29, 2024

I am taking physical therapy now to help me learn how to walk right again. I can go for a couple minutes by using a walker. Sometimes my feet shuffle and I am aware of it. I work at picking up my feet higher and sometimes it feels unnatural but I do it anyhow. I am glad when I get back to my home, to my comfortable spot where I live. I am thankful that I don't have anybody there that picks on the way I walk. Of course I could always whack them with my cane but they would probably just complain about that too. 😜

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seeshores | @seeshores | Jan 25 12:17pm
In reply to @ellerbracke "@gingerw, @imallears: Did not mean to belittle conditions that might make shuffling or dragging feet normal...." + (show)
@ellerbracke

@gingerw, @imallears: Did not mean to belittle conditions that might make shuffling or dragging feet normal. Very simply - shuffling is very annoying to me, my husband does it when he “forgets”, and I am over-sensitized to the fact. I just wanted to have some support from people who are equally irritated by draggers. Not to start a discussion about underlying health issues. As mentioned, hubby is AOK. (Otherwise, of course).

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This thread came up as I searched for an explanation for why YOUNG people shuffle their feet. I'll be shopping at Walmart and someone walks down the isle in slides, zero observable physical ailments. (Yes, I understand not all disabilities are observable) The person is no older than 40 and often it's a teenager or a 20something. Has it become cool to walk lazily? Like when I was in high school, you wore your backpack a certain way or else you weren't perceived as cool. Is shuffling your feet some folks' version of that sort of signaling?

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kforrest | @kforrest | Jan 26 8:52am

women too as we age and our joints aren't as good. sometimes it feels like a flop when i pick up my feet to climb a stair. be patient with the aging people in your life trust me we don't want to go through the declining part of life and death.

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rubyredkate | @rubyredkate | Jan 26 12:00pm
In reply to @ellerbracke "@gingerw, @imallears: Did not mean to belittle conditions that might make shuffling or dragging feet normal...." + (show)
@ellerbracke

@gingerw, @imallears: Did not mean to belittle conditions that might make shuffling or dragging feet normal. Very simply - shuffling is very annoying to me, my husband does it when he “forgets”, and I am over-sensitized to the fact. I just wanted to have some support from people who are equally irritated by draggers. Not to start a discussion about underlying health issues. As mentioned, hubby is AOK. (Otherwise, of course).

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You are free to always free to ask! My husband also shuffles and it is strange to me. He went from being a very loud stomper to shuffling. Dr. Says it is a brain thing that sometimes we can change and sometimes its about the dementia.
He said its a little tale like not swinging your arms when you walk. He encouraged us to take purposeful steps and notice if our arms are swinging on both sides. It is a brain wiring that you don’t want to lose.

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