Doctor reveals why some people do the ‘ADHD walk’

A doctor has explained how a distinctive walk may be a sign that someone has ADHD.

ADHD is a relatively common condition that affects up to five percent of children and four percent of adults in the UK, according to The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).

It's characterised by a persistent pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity that has a direct impact on a person's ability to function.

Symptoms include difficulties with both fine and gross motor skills, impulsivity, difficulty focusing, and problems planning, organising, and carrying out physical actions.

ADHD can have a major impact on your life, but did you know it can also affect the way you walk?

'ADHD walk' refers to the unusual walking patterns of people with ADHD. This can include irregular pacing such as sudden stops and starts, uncoordinated movements and frequent stumbling, and poor balance.

It also refers to a characteristic sway to avoid bumping into objects.

Dr Sermed Mezher explains why this happens in an Instagram reel.

Referring to a 2015 study, he says: "They took 32 patients with ADHD and then 28 who didn't have it and got them to balance on a Wii Balance Board.

"They then imaged the coordination part of the patients' brains to see if there were any differences between the two and what they found was quite interesting."

He continued: "They found that the ADHD group had increased difficulty balancing on the board and also found the area of their brain that controls coordination, which is the cerebellum, had some changes in ADHD [patients] in the right posterior area.

"That explains why people with ADHD throughout their childhood were more likely to bump into things, get caught in things and just generally be a bit more clumsy.

"The evidence shows that these changes are still there into adulthood so patients have learnt to compensate for it by swaying against objects to avoid an impact."

After the video was shared by ADHD platform @adhdwon, many took to the comments to share their own experiences of the ADHD walk.

One person wrote: "Story of my life. ADD with bruised hips and legs from bed frame corners and countertops always."

Another said: "That's me - I’ve got the 'stuff that you couldn’t do if you tried' rule like getting pockets stuck on door handles when you walk into a room."

A third commented: "And here I thought I just had naturally good reflexes lol," while a fourth joked: "I always sucked at the balance board."