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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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isadora2021 | @isadora2021 | Jan 26 5:42pm
In reply to @rubyredkate "You are free to always free to ask! My husband also shuffles and it is strange..." + (show)
@rubyredkate

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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@rubyredkate My elderly father is the same. It started when h needed a hip replacement in his early 80’s and could barely walk. His hip replacement went incredibly well. He’s 90 in February and walks slowly, and refuses to use any walking aids. He still covers excellent distances for his age - usually around the shopping centre mall where the surface is even. We now very gently remind him to “lift your feet, Pops”.

He understands it’s for his own benefit to keep mobile longer that we remind him when he starts shuffling.

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isadora2021 | @isadora2021 | Jan 27 5:17pm

My father has always been a strong walker. We trailed behind him visiting foreign countries. He had to have a hip replacement in his early 80’s because he was in so much pain he couldn’t walk. He shuffled. He’s going to be 90 in February and going well. He loves to walk 3 times a week - very slowly - around shopping centre malls (flat, even, safe surface) looking in shop windows. He refuses to use any walking aid. When he starts shuffling whoever is with him reminds him “Lift your feet, Pops”. And he does, until he needs to be reminded again 🥰 He knows that walking properly will keep him mobile as long as possible!

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