Walking on Toes - Hoffman Estates, IL

You should definatly tell you pediatrition about this. It could be nothing but it could be something.

Our daughter was a toe walker. She could put her foot flat but she didn't and was starting to have flexibility issues. We constantly told her "flat feet". This may seem kinda harsh but we told her if she didn't start walking on her flat feet she might have to wear ugly shoes until she did. We explained to her that if she continued to walk like that she would have to get special shoes that would force her feet down and she couldn't wear pretty shoes like her sparkle princess shoes. We still had to remind her but she finally got better.

Definitely have her checked out for this. I have referred students in my class to their pediatricians for it and most of them needed further treatment. For your own peace of mind, I would check it out with your doctor. It may or may not need further treatment but now is the time to do it.

One of my friends dealt with this, with her daughter and the doctor suggested physical therapy if it continued because, for her it was a tendon concern. Once she brought it to her daughter's attention and worked with her, to walk heal/toe, it corrected itself. I would definitely get her evaluated by a physician to rule out any concerns.

However, don't rule out family traits and habits. Make sure you or any family member who lives in your home are not tip-toers, either. I grew up in an apartment and have always been more noise conscientious than most. My tip-toe-ing was just out of habit.

Good luck.

Many toddlers walk on their toes when they are excited, which is perfectly normal. However, we had our daughter evaluated by her Pediatrician and by EI (when she was 2). We were told that if our daughter is walking on her toes 80% of the time or more, she could (potentially) hyper-develop some of the muscles in her calves. They suggested we break her of the habit as quickly as possible, and we may look into getting inserts for her shoes that forces her heal down.

Your daughter should be able to walk on her heels across the room, and pick up things with her toes (while she is standing in the middle of the room, not holding onto anything). If she can do these things, I'll bet she's perfectly fine. However, you can always take her to see the Pediatrician to evaluate the muscular development in her calves if you are concerned.

Friend of mine's niece just had this diagnosed as toe walking. She has to wear special weights on her ankles now to help her lengthen the muscles in her legs and keep her feet flat. If its a majority of the time thing I would have it checked out.

If your daughter is walking on her toes more often than not I would get her checked out. One of the developmental red flags for 3 years of age is "unable to walk with feet flat on the floor" - it sounds as though she comes close to this. Why is this important? Kids' brains are very plastic at this early age, so if she has some neuromuscular problems it is likely that they can be easily corrected with physical therapy and/or early intervention services and not be an issue 2 years from now. But if there is a problem that is not corrected it can go on to affect not just her gross motor development, but many other things (fine motor control, which affects literacy etc).

So... I'd get her checked just to be sure. It's probably nothing but you'd hate to have missed it if it's something.

If she is doing it on purpose to be funny, I wouldn't worry about it. If she doesn't even realize it, have her feet checked by a podiatrist if possible. Now is the time to get things taken care of while their joints are most flexible. My son sees a physical therapist when he goes to clinic for a bleeding disorder and the really stress flexibility of the joints. They check to see how he stands and walks etc. When he was younger I was told to wathc for any signs of toe walking or walking inward or really uneven wearing of the shoes. There are special shoes and other things that can help if it is needed.

Toe walking in children:

Toe walking (equinus gait) is usually normal in children, especially if they are just beginning to learn how to walk and everything else is normal. However, it can be a sign of a condition that needs further investigation (especially if the ankle joint range of motion is limited). Most cases of toe-walking are just a habit and the child will grow out of it. Toe walking can be caused by neuromuscular conditions, such as cerebral palsy or muscular dystrophy, leg length differences, spinal cord abnormalities and achilles tendon shortness. If its a mild shortness, stretching exercises and/or physical therapy may be necessary. If the toe walking is more severe or persistent, then consideration needs to be given to casting, botox injections or surgery. All cases of toe walking should be evaluated to rule out the causes other than just habit.

Podiatry and children: Podopaediatrics or podopediatrics:

It may pay for a child to be seen by a podiatrist if:

* shoe wear is uneven
* lumps or bumps are evident on the feet
* pain in the feet or legs exists
* tripping and falling occurs
* skin or toenail problems are present

Hope this helps.
N.