How to Fake a Limp

If you've ever wondered how to fake a limp, then you've come to the right place. Whether you're an actor wanting to portray a believable injury or Joe Somebody with an odd fascination with pretend injuries, here you will find tips and techniques about how to fake a believable limp.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

1. Become an observer of people. Watch how those with real leg injuries move around. Sit in the mall on a busy Saturday, and you're sure to find someone with a limp. Carefully watch how they angle their bodies, position their feet and move their arms.
2. Place a good-sized, smooth stone in one of your shoes, and secure it with tape. This way, you will get used to not putting pressure on your "sore" leg. Every time you do, you'll be jolted by the discomfort of the stone pressing into your sole. This stone will help you fake a minor limp.
3. Wrap your "injured" leg in a brace so that you can't effectively bend it when you walk. This wrap will give you the feel of how you should move with a more pronounced limp.
4. Visualize one leg being shorter than the other. Unequal leg lengths is one of the biggest causes of limps. If you find it too difficult fake a limp with just an image in your mind, you can wear a heel or wedge on one foot to help you get the feel. The heel or wedge only needs to be about an inch higher than the other shoe.

Tips & Warnings

• Do not fake a limp or other injury to get insurance money, workers compensation, win a lawsuit or get any other money. Pretending to have an injury for the sole purpose of gaining a profit is illegal.