Toe walking

JMC11511 · July 2014

DS is 2.5. He walks on his toes probably 80% of the time, when he's not wearing shoes. Wearing shoes he walks normally. I don't have any other concerns socially/developmentally etc, just wondering if I should be concerned about the toe walking. I plan on asking his pedi about it, but thought I would ask here too. Any experience with toe walking?

raraavis28 · July 2014

I've mentioned this in a previous thread, but L has been in PT for toe-walking and will probably need a temporary brace to correct it. His PT suspects his toe-walking is a combination of tight Achilles tendons (he has less than half the range a kid his age should have.....his pedi actually flagged this at his 6 month check-up b/c he would curl his toes chronically and not relax them easily) and sensory issues. Because of the latter, she encouraged us (as well as his tendon-stretching exercises) to have him walk outside barefoot as much as possible and to do various exercises to expose his feet to different textures (we'd brush his feet, wipe them with rough and smooth washclothes, have him walk in a bucket of beans etc.) She said that, while most kids toe-walk a little, if it's more than 50% of the time and becomes a habit, it can cause the tendons to tighten (since the heel strike helps stretch them out), which then makes it harder to put the heel down first, so the whole thing can be a vicious cycle. The sooner it's corrected, the better.

Hope that made sense. Long story short, if you are concerned, you should push for a PT evaluation. Something else to keep in mind is that, also according to L's PT, even just striking the ground with the ball of his foot rather than the heel counts as "toe walking." He doesn't have to be high up on his toes for it to be the same problem.

Good luck and feel free to PM me if you have any other questions about our experience!

penguingrrl · July 2014

My middle toe walks frequently, especially barefoot, so we discussed it with her pedi. We were told that if she is able to walk on flat feet but choose to toe walk most of the time it's not a concern. It's only indicative of an issue if they can't walk flat foot. As she has gotten older and is now better able to express herself we discovered she toe walks because having her heel hit the ground first "doesn't feel good" to her. DH felt the same way as a kid, especially on non carpeted floors, so he did the same thing.

JMC11511 · July 2014

Thanks @raraavis28. I've sent an email to his pedi about it and will see what she thinks. I appreciate the advise!

peaceinnature · July 2014

DS toe walks a lot on our concrete floors, and I never thought to be concerned about it. He also used to curl his toes a lot reflexively, but I asked the pedi about that and he wasn't concerned. He watched DS walk and said he looked normal. We have a new GP now, maybe I'll mention it again.

divinemsbee · July 2014

Hi, I'm a lurker from TTGP (I'm a SAHW, but not a SAHM yet) and I'm a mostly reformed toe-walker. It started when I started walking and was then exacerbated by a lot of ballet classes when I was young and while I could walk flat footed, it was a totally unconscious thing. It lessened as I got older, but I didn't really stop until I was in college. I guess at that time it was something my parents thought I'd grow out of or wasn't a big deal.

I've dealt with really painful cramps in my calf muscles since I was a teen. Really, wake me up from a dead sleep screaming, painful cramps. It's pretty terrifying for both me and whomever's with me (my parents and later H). I haven't toe walked in years now, but the damage is done. If I stretch too much too fast it'll cramp. Combining that with a large amount of high heel usage in my youth (the only pro to toe walking is that I could always wear heels well), my feet are pretty effed. I have a large toe box because all of my weight was going there and I'm prone to bunions and corns. And I have narrow heels, which makes finding shoes a nightmare.

Now I do some PT, use a roller, and do a lot of stretching. I still get the cramps a couple of times a month, so that may just be something I have to live with.

All of that to say, I think it's good to talk to your pedi or someone about it.

JMC11511 · July 2014

His pedi said as long as he can walk flat footed and isn't doing it all the time, she's not worried about it. I'll keep reminding him to walk flat though. Thanks!

mandymack · July 2014

penguingrrl said:

My middle toe walks frequently, especially barefoot, so we discussed it with her pedi. We were told that if she is able to walk on flat feet but choose to toe walk most of the time it's not a concern. It's only indicative of an issue if they can't walk flat foot. As she has gotten older and is now better able to express herself we discovered she toe walks because having her heel hit the ground first "doesn't feel good" to her. DH felt the same way as a kid, especially on non carpeted floors, so he did the same thing.

This is us exactly. My son chooses to toe-everythin: walk, run, jump, dance because he's faster that way so it's never been a concern. Good luck!!!

raraavis28 · July 2014

JMC11511 said:
His pedi said as long as he can walk flat footed and isn't doing it all the time, she's not worried about it. I'll keep reminding him to walk flat though. Thanks!

That is an advantage to his age....you can tell him to walk flat-footed....not so much at 18 months.

glad you got a reassuring message!

Chapter79 · July 2014

JMC11511 said:

His pedi said as long as he can walk flat footed and isn't doing it all the time, she's not worried about it. I'll keep reminding him to walk flat though. Thanks!

Yep, as someone else said too.. my DD's doctor said the same. As long as they CAN walk on flat foot, all is typically fine. It's more of a habit type of thing. My DD walked on our toes for a good 5 years... at that point it was because she was used to it. I had to say over and over "use your flats" and then she would. She did eventually stop.

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