toe walking 16 month old

[lovetheheights]

Hello all:
our 16mo DD walks on her toes (or starts the walk until we say "flat feet") I'd say 90% of the time. It used to be less, but at this point it's the default. I am not worried for overall life stuff, but do have an appt to get it checked out.

Her balance is a little off because of this- she has to compensate for the toe walking so her posture is a bit odd. It's also terrifying to watch her run, because she often falls. I know some of that is toddler stuff, but not like this. Stride rite shoes help a bit but even those she can toe walk in!!

Andy experience with this? thanks

[GruppieGirl]

I have been a toe walker my entire 30+ years.

I have good balance and am fairly physically active. The only side effects are my super-high arches and super-strong legs.

Running by hitting the ground with your tows first is supposed to be much better for your joints. There is a whole barefoot running trend that stressing this.

[physmom]

FWIW, DD walks on her toes often. We've always thought it was cute but she has really good balance so I guess I never thought to worry about this?

[bronxmom]

One of my good friends is a toe walker. Has been his entire life and his parents got it checked out when he was younger and it was just his body's make-up. He could have had surgery but it didn't impede him and there was no point in putting him through it. His daughter is a toe-walker. It seems it's genetic and totally normal and more common than you would think. It's actually pretty cute to watch. So definitely don't worry. I know I probably would have if I didn't happen to know how normal this is.

[makuahine]

My dd walked on her toes (maybe 50% of the time?) for a couple of months- 14 to 16 months or so. I didn't think anything of it, supposedly my mom and sister were also big toe walkers, but she happened to do it while I was at a chiropractic appointment and my chiropractor said that in toddlers it can be a sign of carrying too much tension (I can't remember how she phrased it exactly) in the neck. She did a small adjustment on dd (she specializes in pediatric chiro), and dd did stop walking on her toes shortly after, though I'm not sure if it had anything to do with the adjustment or if it was just a phase she grew out of. I wouldn't worry about it though.

[lovetheheights]

Glad to hear positive responses. If anyone has dealt with PT etc for this with their toddler, let me know?

Just to give information, though it's preliminary research (and not everyone who walks on their toes) because others might see this and there are issues that can be present with toe-walking:

- toe walking can be a sign (along with many others...usually on its own it's not a problem) of sensory integration issues and autism. It's one of those symptoms in with a bunch of others.

- arches can collapse, the toes can become damaged, the tendons shorten, the knees have problems, posture can be off

a link: http://www.babycenter.com/404_is-it-...ptoes_11648.bc


- If your daughter is toe walking consistently, however, talk to her pediatrician. Frequent toe walking can signal several different problems, the most serious of which is cerebral palsy. (If she was born prematurely, you'll want to keep an especially close eye on her because preemies are more prone to the form of cerebral palsy called diplegia, which involves the bottom half of the body.) The problem could also be physical: It's not common, but some children have short Achilles tendons, which means it's difficult or impossible for them to walk flat-footed without help. This problem is generally easily treated, either with surgery or with non-surgical approaches to stretching the Achilles tendons.

Toe walking with no accompanying physical problems is called idiopathic toe walking, and is frequently seen in children with language or other developmental disorders, though we don't know just why. If your child has this condition, your pediatrician will want to do an evaluation, including a neurological exam, looking for language and other developmental delays. If the results of this exam are normal and your child does not have any significant delays, however, she won't need therapy and will most likely grow out of the condition on her own.

[kmb9906]

DD started walking on her toes around that age. I asked the ped about it, and he said that it's usually just the toddler exploring new ways to use their body. He said that if it looked like she was unable to actually stand/walk flat-footed, or if that appeared painful for her, then would be the time for intervention. (She also developed a mean pigeon-toe around that age as well, but that has since corrected itself. She is nearly 27mo now.)

[physmom]

Originally Posted by makuahine

My dd walked on her toes (maybe 50% of the time?) for a couple of months- 14 to 16 months or so. I didn't think anything of it, supposedly my mom and sister were also big toe walkers, but she happened to do it while I was at a chiropractic appointment and my chiropractor said that in toddlers it can be a sign of carrying too much tension (I can't remember how she phrased it exactly) in the neck. She did a small adjustment on dd (she specializes in pediatric chiro), and dd did stop walking on her toes shortly after, though I'm not sure if it had anything to do with the adjustment or if it was just a phase she grew out of. I wouldn't worry about it though.

That's funny! DD has a huge head... maybe that makes her walk on her toes more!

Oh, and not to hijack the OP's thread but I thought I had heard that toe walking could be a sign of autism/sensory issues but wasn't sure. Thanks for sharing. DD also does some hand flapping and we've sometimes thought she might have some sensory issues... just a good reminder for me to ask my ped next time we go.

ETA- oh, I just realized the OP was the one who posted that... so do you see any other signs of sensory issues/autism that you are worried about?

[Lilypie32]

My son was a toe walker. We had him in PT and had to do special calf and leg stretching a few times a day because his ligaments had shortened due to the toe walking. He also had special orthotics made to help him walk correctly. He rarely does it anymore. I do remind him every so often to "walk flat."

[lovetheheights]

thank you, all. I am not worried about autism, though her language seemed slower to me.

I am going to keep an eye on it, the ped said she is happy to report that I need not worry (after a good exam) but that she was happy to refer me if it helped me feel better. I am going to keep an eye on it and then see what happens.

Thanks so much