Special Needs
thefuturemrskudla
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Toe-walking LOs
thefuturemrskudla
member
Hi,
Those of you w/LOs who do this, how have you addressed this? AFOs? Botox? And what kinds of shoes do you buy (brands and types)?
DS tends to toe-walk. His hamstrings and heels are tight, and we've been doing stretches, but the PT says his muscles are getting tighter b/c he's getting stronger (his calf muscles are incredible!). We are going to the physiatrist in 2 weeks, to discuss options.
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Re: Toe-walking LOs
It kind of depends. You start with a good hard soled shoe (stride rite is good) and if that doesn't fix it 100% you move on to orthotics. Our PT recommended SMO's. Has your PT said which they would prefer? When P was younger we were fitted for AFO's but the neuro said to wait and see how she does on her own without them. We got SMO's a month or so ago because her tippy toe was still happening too much.
In all honesty, they haven't helped a lot and we need them cut down. Our SMO's were $1500!!
**Lurker butting in** DD was a toe walker since she started walking. We took her to an orthopedist and she has the same problem...her heel cord was too tight so she was unable to bend her foot the correct way. He said it was more comfortable for her to walk on her toes. That was last October..she has been in AFO's since then and they have helped TREMENDOUSLY! She also went to physical therapy once a month.
Her last follow-up appointment was at the beginning of June. Her doc is very impressed with how much the AFO's have helped her. She has to wear them through the summer and at her next appointment in early November she will be out of braces and transitioned into a sho insert. According to her doc, the earlier you catch it, the earlier it is to treat. I am thankful she only had to wear the AFO's for a year.
In terms of shoes, during the winter she pretty much wore work boots. It was the only hard-soled shoe we could find that would fit over the braces. For the summer we ordered her a pair of Hatchbacks. We got them right off of the website. Sorry this was a little long but I hope it helped. Good luck
My DS1 is a toe walker, and we have pretty much run the gauntlet for this. He started with hard toe shoes, moved on to adjustable braces for about a year, after no change, we did casting, no change, we did surgery to loosen his muscles when he was 5 years old. That loosened them, however is 10 and still walks on his toes because it is a habit. we are working with stretches and will probably be going back to braces soon to train him how to walk so he doesn't need surgery again. BTW, my son is the only kid I know that can tip toe in ski boots..
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