This blog post covers effective exercises, stretches and strategies to help fix your Duck Feet Posture.

What is Duck feet posture?

Duck Feet Posture is a postural deviation where the feet are pointing outwards.

(The opposite of this would be Pigeon Toe where the feet point inwards.)

In This Blog Post:

• Test for Duck Feet Posture
• Is It Dangerous?
• Causes
• Exercises For Duck Feet Posture
• Common Questions

How can you tell if you have Duck feet posture?

Instructions:

• Stand up.
• March on the spot for 5 seconds.
• Stop.
• Look down at your feet.
• Which direction are your feet pointing towards?

Is It Dangerous?

Having Duck Feet Posture is NOT inherently dangerous.

However – it does represent a deviation from the optimal foot alignment which can influence the efficiency of absorbing and producing load through the foot.

This may predispose some individuals to develop issues such as:

What causes Duck Feet Posture?

READ THIS: DO NOT SKIP THIS PART OF THE BLOG POST!

This will determine the specific exercises (in the Exercise section) that will need to be performed to address the Duck Feet Posture.

Causes Of Duck Feet Posture

• Posterior Pelvic Tilt
• Externally Rotated Hips
• Externally Rotated Tibias
• Limited Ankle Dorsiflexion
• Foot Pronation
• Limited Big Toe Extension
• Structural Cause

For some individuals – there will be multiple contributing factors that have lead to the Duck Feet Posture.

In this situation, these individuals will need to address more than one of the issues mentioned below.

1. Posterior Pelvic Tilt

A Posterior Pelvic Tilt is where the pelvis is rotated in a backwards direction.

(Think about this pelvis position as having your tail bone tucked underneath you.)

A posterior tilt of the pelvis will tend to ORIENTATE the hip joint outwards which may lead to the hips, knees and feet facing outwards.

Test for Posterior Pelvic Tilt

Instructions:

• Whilst standing, locate the following land marks on your pelvis:
  • Anterior Superior Iliac Spine (ASIS): “pointy bone at the front of your pelvis”
  • Posterior Superior Iliac Spine (PSIS): “pointy bone at the back of your pelvis”

Generally speaking – This pelvis position is usually due to an imbalance in the following muscles:

Tight and/or Overactive Muscles:

• Hamstrings
• Abdominals
• Gluteal muscles

Weak and/or Inhibited Muscles:

• Lumbar Erectors
• Hip Flexors

2. Externally rotated Hips

Hip External Rotation is where the Femur (Upper leg bone) rotates outwards in the hip joint.

This can cause the hips, knees and feet to point outwards.

Test For Externally Rotated Hips

Instructions:

• Stand up right.
• March on the spot for 5 seconds.
• Look down at your knees.
• Which way are they pointing?

The following muscles will need to be addressed with exercises:

Tight and/or Overactive Muscles: (External Rotators)

• Gluteus Maximus
• Posterior portion of Gluteus Medius
• Piriformis
• Obturator Internus/Externus
• Gemellus Superior/Inferior

Weak and/or Inhibited Muscles: (Internal Rotators)

• Anterior Gluteus Medius
• Tensor Fasciae Latae
• Adductor Magnus

3. Externally rotated Tibias

Tibial External Rotation is where the tibia (shin bone) rotates outwards relative to the femur (upper leg bone).

This can cause the shin bones and feet to point outwards.

Test for Tibial External Rotation

Instructions:

• Whilst standing, locate the following land marks:
  • Middle of knee cap
  • Midline of Tibia (Shin bone)

(Note: It is common for this to occur in conjunction with Knock Knee.)

The following muscles will need to be addressed:

Tight and/or Overactive Muscles: (Tibial External Rotators)

• Lateral Hamstring
• Lateral Calf

Weak and/or Inhibited Muscles: (Tibial Internal Rotators)

• Popliteus
• Medial Hamstring

4. Limited Ankle dorsiflexion

Ankle Dorsiflexion is the movement where the foot bends backwards towards the shin bone.

During walking – An adequate amount of ankle dorsiflexion is required to keep the foot in a relatively neutral position.

If there is a limited amount of ankle dorsiflexion, this can result in the foot externally rotating outwards in an attempt to compensate for the lack of mobility.

This will lead to the feet pointing outwards during walking.

After walking like this over a prolonged amount of time, this can eventually lead to habitually out turned feet in the static standing position.

Test For Ankle Dorsiflexion

Instructions:

• Face a wall.
• Assume the lunge position so that your knee on your front leg is touching the wall.
• Whilst keeping your knee in contact with the wall, keep sliding your foot back as far as you can go.
• Aim to get the front of your foot furthest away from the wall before the:
  • Heel lifts off the ground or
  • Foot arch collapses.
• Measure the distance between the tip of your big toe and the wall.

The following muscles will need to be addressed:

Tight and/or Overactive Muscles:

• Gastrocnemius
• Soleus
• Plantaris
• Achilles tendon

5. Foot Overpronation

Overpronation of the foot involves the medial arch of the foot collapsing towards the ground.

This may result in out turned feet.

Test For Foot Overpronation

Instructions:

• Whilst standing, have a look at your feet.
• There should be a visible arch on the inner side of your feet.
• As a rough guideline: You should be able to fit the tips of your fingers underneath the arch of your foot.

The following muscles will need to be addressed:

Tight and/or Overactive Muscles:

• Peroneus Longus
• Peroneus Brevis
• Peroneus Tertius

Weak and/or Inhibited Muscles:

• Tibialis Posterior
• Tibialis Anterior
• Plantar Fascia
• Flexor Hallucis Longus
• Flexor Digitorum

6. Limited Big Toe Extension

Big Toe Extension is where the big toe bends backwards.

If you have limitations in this movement, the foot can pivot outwards as you push off the front of the foot during walking.

After walking like this over a prolonged amount of time, this can eventually lead to habitually out turned feet in the static standing position.

Test for Big Toe Extension

Instructions:

• Place your ankle on your opposite knee.
• Pull your foot backwards towards the shin bone.
• Pull your big toe backwards as far as possible.
• Measure the angle of the big toe.

The following muscle will need to be addressed:

Tight Muscles:

• Flexor Hallucis Longus
• There may also be significant stiffness in the Big Toe joint (1st Metatarsal Phalangeal joint). This is referred to as Hallux Rigidus.

7. Structural Causes

Structural causes involving the alignment/shape of bones and/or joints can result in Duck Feet Posture.

Unfortunately – there is going to be a certain limit (… perhaps, if any at all) as to how much this can be changed by exercise alone.

(Note: Having larger thighs may also cause the legs to rotate outwards. This can be addressed by reducing the size of the overall thigh region.)

For those of you who have a structural cause:

Examples of Structural Causes of Duck Feet Posture

An example of 2 possible structural causes of Duck Feet Posture are Femoral Retroversion and Tibial Torsion. These can be diagnosed via CT scan.

1. 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.

Test for Femoral Retroversion:

Instructions:

• Lie on your stomach.
• Bend your knee to 90 degrees.
• Perform External rotation:
  • Drop your foot towards the mid line of the body.
• Perform Internal rotation:
  • Drop your foot away from the mid line of the body

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.

2. Tibial Torsion (External)

Test for Tibial Torsion:

Instructions:

• Lie on your stomach.
• Bend your knees to 90 degrees.
• Compare the line of the femur and foot.

8. Combination of The above

It it not unusual if multiple areas of the body are contributing to the development of Duck Feet Posture.

If this is the case – It is likely that you will need to perform the specific exercises for ALL of the areas involved.

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Exercises to fix Duck feet posture

STEP 1: Know The Exact Cause Of The Duck Feet Posture
STEP 2: Do The Exercises For The Specific Cause
STEP 3: Encourage Ideal Foot Position

STEP 1: Know What Is Causing the Duck Feet Posture

After reading through the causes section of this blog post, you should know exactly what has lead to your Duck Feet Posture.

(NOTE: If you are still not sure what is causing your feet to point outwards, please make sure that you thoroughly read the Causes section before proceeding to the following exercise section. Performing exercises in the area that is not relevant to you may lead to more issues.)

If you know what has caused your Duck Feet Posture, you can perform the specific exercises to address it.

STEP 2: Address Relevant Cause

Remember: You only need to focus on the cause(s) related to your Duck Feet Posture. You can disregard performing exercises for the other causes if they are not relevant to you.

Causes

• Posterior Pelvic Tilt
• Externally Rotated Hips
• Externally Rotated Tibia
• Limited Ankle Dorsiflexion
• Over Pronated Foot
• Limited Big Toe Extension

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1. Posterior Pelvic Tilt

Perform the following exercises if your pelvis is in a Posterior Pelvic Tilt.

If you would like to see my blog post dedicated to fixing this issue:

See Post: Posterior Pelvic Tilt

(For the purpose of this post – I have included the 3 main exercises to get you started.)

Hamstring Releases

Tight upper hamstring muscles will tend to pull the pelvis backwards into the posterior tilt position.

Releasing them can help reduce tension in this muscle.

Instructions:

• Sit on the floor.
• Place the back of your upper thigh on top of a foam roller.
• Apply an appropriate amount of body weight.
• Roll the back of the upper thigh over the foam roller.
• Duration: 2 minutes on each side.

Upper Hamstring Stretch

Instructions:

• Whilst standing, place the leg that you would like to stretch in front of you.
• Keep the knee of the front leg in a slightly bent position.
• Hinge forwards at the hip joint.
  • Keep your lower back completely straight.
  • Keep your foot pointed forwards.
• Ensure that you can feel the stretch in the back of your upper leg.
• Duration: Hold stretch for 1 minute.
• Repeat on both sides.

For more stretches: Upper Hamstring Stretches

Standing Pelvic Tilts

The aim of this exercise is to activate the muscles that encourage a more neutral position of the pelvis.

Instructions:

• Stand with your hips stacked directly over your ankles.
• Perform an anterior pelvic tilt:
  • “Imagine your pelvis is a bucket full of water and the water is tipping forwards.”
• Hold for 5 seconds.
• Relax into a neutral pelvic position.
• Perform 30 repetitions.

2. Externally Rotated Hips

If your hips are externally rotated, it may be associated with a lack of internal rotation in the hips.

The hips tend to compensate by adopting the duck foot position (externally rotated hips).

To completely address this issue, you will need to make sure that you have an adequate amount of internal rotation available in the hip joint.

For exercises to improve your hip mobility:

See Post: Increase Hip Internal Rotation

To get you started, here are 3 exercises to get you started:

Gluteal Releases

Tight gluteal muscles will tend to move the hip into a position of external rotation.

Instructions:

• Sit on the floor.
• Place the back of your hip on a massage ball.
• Apply an appropriate amount of body weight on top of the massage ball.
• Perform circular motions.
• Make sure to cover all areas at the back of the hip.
• Duration: 2 minutes each side.

Gluteal Stretch

Instructions:

• Sit down on the edge of a chair.
• Place your ankle on top of the other knee.
• Sit as tall as possible as to create a prominent arch in your lower back.
• Whilst maintaining this arch, pull your knee towards the opposite shoulder.
• Lean your torso forwards.
• Aim to feel a stretch in the back of the hip.
• Hold for 60 seconds.
• Repeat on other side.

For more stretches for back of hip: Tight Glute Stretches

Strengthen Hip Internal Rotators

This exercise will activate the muscles that bring the hip into a position of internal rotation.

Instructions:

• Sit on the floor with your leg straight in front of you.
• Rotate your leg inwards.
• Aim to feel a contraction in the muscles in your groin.
• Hold this position for 5 seconds.
• Repeat 20 times.

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3. Externally Rotated Tibia

Perform the following exercises if you have Tibial External Rotation.

If you would like to see my blog post on how to address this issue:

See Post: Tibial Internal Rotation

To get you started, here are 3 exercises.

Lateral Hamstring Release

A tight lateral hamstring will tend to rotate the Tibia (lower leg bone) outwards.

Instructions:

• Sit on the floor.
• Place a massage ball underneath the outside part of the back of your knee.
• Place your hands on top of your lower thigh region.
• Proceed to apply a firm amount of downward pressure.
• Guide your leg left/right on top of the ball to cover more areas.
• Continue for 1 minute.
• Repeat on other side.

Popliteus Strengthening

The popliteus is a muscle that is located at the back of the knee and has the function of internally rotating the Tibia.

Instructions:

• Sit down with your hip/knees bent at 90 degrees.
• Keep your knee pointing forwards throughout the exercise.
• Turn your shin bone inwards.
  • (Internal rotation of the tibia bone.)
• Make sure your foot does not lift off the ground.
• Repeat 30 times.
• Repeat on the other leg.

Knee Push Outs

By pushing the knees out over an anchored foot, the Tibia is required to adopt a position of internal rotation relative to the Femur (upper leg bone).

Instructions:

• Sit down on the edge of a chair.
• Have your feet shoulder-width apart.
• Keep feet pointing forwards.
• Whilst keeping the base of your big toe in contact with the floor, push your knees out to the side as much as possible.
• Aim to feel your foot arch and outside hip muscles activate.
• Hold for 10 seconds.
• Perform 5-10 repetitions.
• Progression:
  • Loop a resistance band around your knees to provide increased resistance.

4. Limited Ankle Dorsiflexion

Perform the following exercises if you have limited Ankle Dorsiflexion.

If you would like to see my blog post dedicated to fixing this issue:

See Post: Increase Ankle Dorsiflexion

(For the purpose of this post – I have included the 3 main exercises to get you started.)

Calf Release

Tightness in the calf muscles will tend to limit the amount of ankle dorsiflexion.

Instructions:

• Place your calf muscle on top of a foam roller or massage ball. 
• Put your other leg on top of this leg.
• Whilst keeping the bottom leg relaxed, use your top leg to apply pressure down towards the foam roller. 
• Roll your leg from side to side to help cover more areas of the muscle.
• Do this for 2 minutes on each side.

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.
• Lock your knee straight.
• Learn forward into your ankle.
• Aim to feel a deep stretch sensation at the back of the calf.
• Hold for 1-2 minutes.
• Repeat on the other side.

Ankle Joint Mobilization

This exercise is designed to encourage movement of the joint as the ankle moves into a position of dorsiflexion.

Instructions:

• Place your foot onto a stool.
• Using your body weight, proceed to plunge forward as to place pressure on the front ankle.
• Keep the heels of your front leg in contact with the stool throughout movement.
• Repeat 30 times.
• Note: You can use a resistance band (as set up as above) to encourage more joint movement

5. Overpronation of Foot

Perform the following exercises if you have Overpronation of the Feet.

If you would like to see my blog post dedicated to fixing this issue:

See Post: Fix Flat Feet

(For the purpose of this post – I have included the 3 main exercises to get you started.)

Peroneal Release

Tightness in the Peroneal muscles will tend to collapse the foot.

Instructions:

• Sit on the floor.
• Place the outside of your lower leg on a massage ball.
• Apply pressure over the ball.
• Make sure to cover the whole outer side of the lower leg.
• Draw circles with your ankle to increase the release.
• Duration: 2 minutes per side

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 that you are dragging the base of your big toe backwards.
• Aim to feel a strong contraction of the muscles underneath your foot.
• Hold this for 5-10 seconds.
• Repeat 20 times.

Arch Loading

Instructions:

• Stand with your feet shoulder width apart.
• Keep your arches lifted throughout the exercise.
  •  (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.
• Aim to feel a firm contraction in the muscles underneath your foot.
• Repeat 10 times.

6. Limited Big toe Extension

Perform the following exercises if you have limited big toe extension.

If you would like to see my blog post dedicated to fixing this issue:

See Post: Increase Big Toe Extension

(For the purpose of this post – I have included the 3 main exercises to get you started.)

Flexor Hallucis Longus Release

Tightness in this muscle will tend to limit big toe extension.

Instructions:

• Place your foot on top of a massage ball.
• Position the ball so that it covers the inner side of the bottom of the foot.
• Apply a firm amount of body weight on top of the massage ball.
• Continue for 1 minute.
• Repeat on the other side.

Big Toe Stretch

Instructions:

• Place the undersurface of the big toe onto the corner of the wall.
• Aim to get the foot as close to the wall as possible.
• Lean your foot into the wall to create a stretch of the big toe.
• Hold for 30 seconds.
• Repeat on the other side.

Push Off Big Toe

This exercise will help improve your walking pattern by preventing the foot from pivoting outwards during walking.

Instructions:

• Assume a lunge position. (see above)
  • The foot at the back will be the side targeted.
  • Make sure that your big toe is extended back as far as possible without compromising the alignment of your foot.
• Push the tip of your big toe into the ground as you point your foot against the ground.
• Place as much of your body weight onto the back leg that you can comfortably tolerate.
• Return your weight back to the ball of the foot.
• Repeat 20 times.
• Repeat on the other side.

STEP 3: Encourage More Neutral foot Position

Once you have performed the specific exercises, make sure to follow up with these exercises:

1. Important Exercises
2. Keep Feet Straight

Important Exercises

The following exercises are designed to encourage you to keep the ideal alignment of your leg.

The aim is to keep your knee and foot pointing FORWARDS throughout each exercise.

Wall Lunge

Instructions:

• Place your foot onto a step.
• Have both of your hands supported onto a wall that is in front of you.
• For the leg on the step, keep the knee and foot pointing forwards throughout this exercise.
• Lunge forwards.
  • Move your knee forwards as much as you can without allowing the foot to turn outwards.
• Provide as much support from your hands as required.
• Perform 20 repetitions.
• Repeat on the other side.
• Progression:
  • Allow the knee to move more forwards.
  • Gradually reduce the amount of support being provided by your arms.

Step Up

Instructions:

• Place your foot onto a step.
• (If required – You may use your hands for support.)
• For the leg on the step, keep the knee and foot pointing FORWARDS throughout this exercise.
• Perform a step up.
• Slowly lower yourself back to the starting position.
• Perform 20 repetitions.
• Repeat on the other side.
• Progression:
  • Use less arm support
  • Use a higher step

Toe Tap

Instructions:

• Stand up right.
  • (You may use your hands for support if required.)
• For the leg that is on the ground, keep the knee and foot pointing FORWARDS throughout this exercise.
• Slowly reach and tap your toe as far forwards as possible.
• Return to the starting position.
• Perform 20 repetitions.
• Repeat on the other side.

Single Leg Balance

Instructions:

• Balance on one leg.
• Make sure to keep your foot and knee pointing FORWARDS at all times.
• Hold for 30 seconds.
• Repeat on the other side.

Keep Your Feet Straight

Over time, the suggested exercises on this blog post will naturally help your foot achieve a more neutral position (that is, pointing more forwards).

In addition to the exercises – I would also recommend that you attempt to keep your feet in a straighter position (without forcing it) whilst standing, walking and exercising.

(This is easier said than done… but do what you can do.)

With time, consistency and effort, it will become easier for you to place your feet in the neutral position.

Common Questions

Need more help? Please feel free to ask me any questions in the comment section down below.

What happens if only ONE foot is pointing outwards?

There are 2 situations where this can occur:

1. You have a 1 sided issue

This can be addressed by performing the above exercises on the appropriate side only.

2. Your pelvis is rotated

A twisted pelvis can result in one foot being turned out towards the side.

For exercises to address this issue completely:

See Post: Exercises To Fix A Rotated Pelvis

How Long Will It Take To Fix?

This is a difficult question to answer as there are so many factors that need to be considered.

Generally speaking – you should see notable improvements within 6-12 weeks of performing the exercises consistently.

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Conclusion

Duck Feet Posture is a postural presentation where the feet are turned outwards.

It may lead to undesirable compensations throughout the entire body.

It is important to understand what is causing your Duck Feet Posture as this will determine which specific exercises are required.

In some people – it may be required to address multiple areas to completely address this issue.

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Disclaimer: 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. Use of the content provided on this blog post is at your sole risk. Seek guidance from a healthcare professional before starting any exercise and/or implementing any recommendation. For more information: Medical Disclaimer.