Autism and Foot Problems

Greetings Earthlings! 🙂

This week I’d like to talk about yet another unusual autistic co-morbidity- foot problems! As I was recently being re-fit for new orthotics, I got to thinking about my feet and whether or not there was a link to autism. Annnd wouldn’t you know it- there is! Just another co-morbidity to add to my ever growing list!🤣

So what’s the story?

There are a number of common foot problems associated with autism:

• Flat feet- where the arches of the foot collapse so the entire flat of your foot touches the ground causing balance issues, foot fatigue and foot and leg pain
• Toe walking– where a person walk on their toes or forefoot without the heels touching the ground. This causes problems with the feet and legs such as tightness in the achilles tendon. While there’s no physical reason for this behaviour, it’s highly common in autists and thought to be a sign of understimulation or a stimming behaviour
• Supination/underpronation– aka walking or standing on the edges of your feet. This causes inflexible feet which can cause foot issues and make you more prone to ankle injuries
• Foot problems associated with stimming– autists may use their feet to stim in unusual ways which can have a knock on impact on foot health

But why are autists more prone to these problems?

As discussed in previous posts, autists have a lot of issues with coordination, balance and spatial awareness. These issues all have an impact on how you walk, putting excessive pressure on the feet and ankles. In addition, sensory sensitivities can cause discomfort when walking or when wearing certain footwear which can cause foot problems from lack of support or any altered movement patterns employed as a coping mechanism.

Issues with flat feet on the other hand have a slightly more physiological root. Roughly 50% of autists have a tendency towards low muscle tone (hypotonia) caused by poor neurological signaling between the brain and the muscles. Delays in communication between these causes a more floppy resting muscle tone. This weakness in leg and feet muscles can cause fallen arches among other foot problems.

Thankfully, foot issues associated with autism can be easily treated and managed with proper corrective support, specialist footwear and physiotherapy to strengthen your muscles and improve gait 😀

Hope you enjoyed this post dear Earthlings!

Enjoy the long weekend! 🙂

Aoife