You might have wondered why your podiatrist has you stand barefoot and walk back and forth or even march in place. One reason is that she is looking to measure certain relationships in how your feet are positioned in relation to each other. And how you stand while having a foot x-ray taken is also important for consistency in your x-rays. What your podiatrist is doing is evaluating your feet in “angle of base and gait.” This is a term for a very complicated way the podiatrist evaluates the position of your feet as you walk and stand. Sometimes the podiatrist may have you march in place a few times and then see how the feet are positioned. This method of evaluation was recently reviewed in the Journal of the American Podiatric Medical Association, Volume 104, Number 3, May/June 2014 (www.japmaonline.org) in an articled titled “The Consistency of Individual-Selected Versus Rater-Determined Angle and Base of Gait.” This is not something I would recommend you read but for sure your podiatrist will have received training in how to properly evaluate your feet and this article is something which most podiatrists will read and follow.