Son Walks on Toes

My daughter walked on her tippy toes all the time from the moment she learned to walk... now, she is almost 4 years old, she only does it when dancing or pretend play. So morethenlikely he will out grow it.

If I were you, I would probably would want to get a referral to have my son evaluated by an occupational therapist. I know children who do it when they are a lot younger than two and never for a very long time. I would just be concerned about how it maybe effecting the overall body alignment or maybe there's a vestibular balance issue that needs to be addressed.

Hi J.,
I'm a pediatric physical therapist, and I have worked with lots of kids who walk on their toes. My thoughts are that it depends on how severe it is, whether you would treat it or not. It's fine to wait and see if he stops, but my personal preference is to stop it if, as you say, he has been doing this for a long time and doesn't seem ABLE to stand flat-footed. A lot of kids start toe-walking because their abdominal/stomach/core muscles are weak and they are trying to use any muscles they can to stand. Others have very sensitive feet and don't like the feel of different surfaces like grass or carpet. The calf muscle (which does make the arch of the foot) then becomes so tight that they can't stand flat. For some kids this is not a big issue and they may outgrow it, but for others it is a big issue. At the least, kids can be teased horribly. At the worst, some kids can have balance problems, difficult standing still to do things, and back pain from the weak stomach muscles.

My usual treatment depends on the cause. I like to use stretching braces (worn at night mainly) along with strengthening exercises and sometimes activities to de-sensitize the feet.

Really, it depends on how concerned you are. If you think it is becoming a tough problem, I would recommend asking your pediatrician for a referral to a pediatric PT or a developmental MD specialist (who might then refer you to a PT). If you prefer to wait and see, that should be fine too, but it does get a bit harder to treat as the muscles get tighter. Good luck!

Some kids just do this. It's not a problem, it's a preference. My brother did and he went on to be come a champion competitor in karate by age 16. He's an accomplished professional with a great family and no major health problems, which is good because he's pushin' 40.

He walked on his toes until he was about 6. Kids, go figure. :)

Don't worry, mama, he'll be fine.

Hi J.,

I have a friend whose daughter did this. She told me that the specialist said it is completely normal for a while because the muscle in the bottom of the foot has not stretched out completely yet. It stretches with use. However it should not continue. He also said some kids outgrow it. She was put in a brace of sorts and used it for a couple of years and now walks like everyone else. You might want to get a referral to an orthopedist to check.

M.

I think there is a Shriner's Hospital in Oklahoma City, all treatment is free, take him and get him evaluated. then you'll know for sure!!

I had a child physical/developmental therapist tell me that Payless brand shoes are made with a higher arch when my daughter started to do that when she was cruising. They worked great. And for all of about 10 bucks well worth it.

It must be something normal. I heard one time if they began to do that, then it must be a sign of autism, but my first son tippy toed and now my 16mo old is tippy toeing too, and perfectly fine. I think it is a stage they go through.

Hi! It is normal up to a certain point. If it goes on for too long, or he is walking that way exclusively it can be harmful to his tendons. It is one of the indicators for Autism, but not in and of itself can it be used to determine if a child falls somehwere on the spectrum. As many have mentioned it is something typical children go through, as a stage, and eventually outgrow. So it is only alarming if they walk on their toes exclusively past the developmental stage, and if the child shows other behaviors that indicate they may be on the Autism spectrum.

My answer echos several of the other moms. Children do walk on their tip-toes for a while because their muscles are too tight to flatten their feet comfortably. Most children grow out of it, but some do not. If you have concerns that your son won't grow out of it, I would seek professional help somewhere. It isn't anything serious, so I wouldn't worry about it too much. From what I heard, it is a fairly simple fix. Good luck!

I'm not a pediatrician, but I do know of someone who's little girl walked on her tiptoes, almost exclusively. Her Dr. gave her some stretches to do when she was about 5 or 6. Dr. told mom that if she didn't get that tendon stretched out and quit walking on her toes, she'd need surgery.

Hi J.,
My son walked on his tippy toes for years. Started as a toddler and even continued through school years-I noticed because he was on the swim team in high school and even did it then! I worried about it and asked pediatricians,etc. All I can say is that now he is a healthy, 19 year old college student. He gets good grades, is well-adjusted with nice friends, and leads a Christian group of high school kids. It doesn't hurt to keep an eye on it and ask questions though!

I walked on my toes until highschool... and would often walk on the tops of my toes in preschool & elementary until I got too heavy. For the tops of my toes: It made me taller (bonus), and later I felt like a ballerina. For the rest of it:

- I have high arches. Before the baby, I could stick 3 fingers under my arch. Walking on my toes just felt/feels better. High heels feel soooooo good it's not even funny. And I can't wear them, because I'm 6'1 in my bare feet. :( :( :(

- It made me taller (bonus as a kid)

- I could "bounce silently" (aka without jumping) while I walked by changing how much on my toes I stayed

- It was quieter, so I didn't get yelled at

So for me it was 1/2 physical & 1/2 for fun. The only reason I stopped in HS was that I was experimenting with different ways of walking, and I was trying to look shorter (I was 6 feet tall at 13). I still prefer to walk on my toes, but prancing is rather discouraged by society in general. Unless there are a pair of stilettos backing you up.

Yes, it can be a sign of autism... but so can many many other very normal things that everyone does. Just like everyone gets distracted from time to time, but for ADHD it goes FAR beyond distraction, and Alzeheimers isn't even in the same ball park.

I always walked on my toes. I don't know if I ever walked on top of my toes at your son's age. I do think I tried it, as another mom said, to be like a ballerina, but by that time I was heavy enough that it hurt. As a teenager, I realized I still occasionally walked on my toes. I was working behind a counter, and I would get up on my toes to make it easier to lift something over the counter to a customer. When we were busy I wouldn't realize that I stayed on my toes until we slowed down and I caught myself (and then had to shrink 3 inches as I lowered myself back to flat feet, hopefully with no one looking).

Toe walking leads to high arches and well-defined calves, but it can also lead to severely shortened achilles tendons, which can later lead to serious injury. I only found this out because a friend has a daughter who is a toe-walker and she had braces on her legs and eventually surgery when the braces didn't help. I thought that seemed extreme, but I guess the potential for injury is serious IN RARE CASES.

For me, I no longer walk on my toes, and I think it is because I wore birkenstock sandals and ugg boots for years (being an adult helps too, but not as much as you'd think). I think the nature of the sandals, which you need to grip with your toes to keep on, changed the whole way I walked and stood. I don't know if you could keep a sandal like that, without the heel strap, on his feet (or if you'd even find ones in his size - doesn't have to be birks, any molded footbed one should work), but maybe if you could get him to wear them, he might transition on his own.

Otherwise, just keep an eye on it, and maybe have his pediatrician watch him walk - try not to mention the toes, or even walking in front of your son, just let the dr know beforehand that you've noticed this. For most people, I think they will grow out of it.

Good luck

Both of my grandchildren and all 4 of my daughter's sister's children walk on their toes and she, an adult, said she still walks on her tip toes when she's barefoot.

I was at a swimming pool this weekend and noticed nearly all the preschool age children walking on their tip toes as well as some older kids. My 10 yo granddaughter also walked on top of her toes for a short period of time and still does once in a while when she is wearing shoes. She's being a ballerina.

Clarification: If you mean he bends his toes under so that he walks on the top surface my granddaughter did that for a short while before she switched to walking on the ends of her toes.

I've read that walking on tip toes can be an indication of a problem but I've not seen it ever be or turn into a problem. I can't see how it would unless that is the only way a child walks. If they always walk on their tip toes, the tendons will shorten, as they do when women only wear high heals.

If he walks flat on his feet as well, I wouldn't be concerned about it.

I want to emphasize that children don't necessarily grow out of walking on their toes some of the time. It's fun to do. It's only a problem if they only walk on their toes. I know an adult woman who still walks on her toes when she's barefoot. She and her legs, feet are healthy. She said she does it because it feels good.

My granddaughter is 10 and she still walks on her toes most of the time. Her pediatrician said that is not a problem because she is able to walk on her whole foot too. She also pretends she a ballerina and walks on the end of her toes while in shoes.

Hey,
My two cents are that if you think it might be a problem, then i would take him somewhere else to have it checked. Like J. P said it can become a real problem. My nephew who is now 13 went through a horrible surgery becuase my sister tried to wait it out. (she should have taken him much sooner) but his back was hurting and he has pretty much no calf muscles now. After surgery he was in a wheelchair for 6 weeks, on crutches for a couple of weeks and now in braces for going on 6 months. Turns out (something they didn't know until surgery) that he had an extra muscle in his right leg which started the whole problem. I am not trying to scare you and it may not be a big deal now, but can become one. I would try PT to correct it. Good Luck.

You might could try getting him some squeaky shoes. I got some of them for my nephew and he loves them. There is a squeaker in the heel that squeaks with every step. It would only squeak if his foot were flat in a normal position so that could make him want to put his foot down. Might let you see if this is a true problem or if it's just a habit he's developed. The squeakers come out easily though if you need them out...eventually they start to drive you nuts!

Here's a link for tennis shoes... http://www.amazon.com/Toddler-Training-Squeaky-Shoes-Stri...

and one for sandals... http://www.amazon.com/Squeaky-Sandals-Brown-infant-toddle...

If you have any consignment shops around you could try there. They have them on ebay as well.

Good Luck!

I don't have a toddler (yet), but I was in my OB's office yesterday waiting for one of my prenatal appointments and I read a small article in one of their magazines on this exact thing. It basically said it usually is a harmless habit, but in rare cases it could be a sign of cerebral palsy, but you would likely notice other symptoms like difficulty running and a lack of coordination and frequent falling (which we're talking about toddlers here, so I think it would haveto be excessive amounts, since all toddlers do all of that on a daily basis anyway). It also mentioned something about muscle tightnes in the calves/achilles tendons and possible stretching exercises that could be done. I would say that if your kid is otherwise fine, it is probably just him being focused on something else and forgetting to walk like a big kid. There is probably no reason to worry, but I'd hate to not pass along any info that could be useful.

I used to walk on the tops of my toes as a child and my 3-year-old son does it now. It felt good. It stretched my toes out. My 3-year-old can read very well and is very social. I think it's probably fine.