It’s not uncommon for kids under two years old to walk almost exclusively on the balls of their feet. Young toddlerhood is a stage of learning to walk, and it isn’t a cause for concern. As they develop, most kids outgrow toe walking.
However, some kids continue to walk on their toes out of habit even after most of their peers stop. If your child does this, a visit to Aesthetic Podiatry & Sports Medicine Center in White Plains or Purchase, New York, may be in order.
The practice’s board-certified podiatrists, Mariola Rivera, DPM, and Lisa Shah, DPM, can examine your child's feet for arch and ball problems or other foot and ankle issues resulting from toe walking and run some tests to ensure that toe walking isn’t a sign of something deeper.
Toe walking isn’t necessarily a sign that your child will have foot problems later on, nor is it commonly a symptom of a serious condition. Yet staying informed gives you peace of mind about your child’s well-being. Here’s what you should know about toe walking as a parent.
Walking almost exclusively on the toes or balls of your feet involves using different muscles than a normal heel-to-toe gait. If your child’s toe-walking habit persists after age 2, the result could be permanent changes in specific muscles, such as the gastrocnemius or soleus muscles in their calves.
These muscles are connected to the Achilles tendon and can shorten over time the more your child walks on their toes. Alternatively, your child could naturally have short calf muscles, making toe walking easier for them.
Tight calf muscles and Achilles tendon resulting from long-term childhood toe walking could lead to a limited range of motion for your child’s feet and ankles or trouble wearing specific shoes, especially for athletics.
Your child’s podiatrist will offer advice on stretching and other solutions that can improve your child’s normal walking ability and participation in sports and physical activities.
Under rare circumstances, long-term toe walking that doesn’t eventually resolve on its own could indicate an underlying medical condition, such as a neurological disorder. Several medical conditions affecting the nerves and muscles lead to unusual walking patterns, including cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, and spinal cord abnormalities.
During your visit, your child’s podiatrist will ask you questions about your child’s walking pattern throughout the stages of growth and development, such as whether your child seems to favor one foot over the other and when your child has reached specific developmental milestones other than walking.
Many medical tests can lead to diagnoses of conditions or rule them out as the reason for your child’s tendency to tip-toe, such as neurological tests and imaging tests like X-rays to check for muscle imbalances.
If your child hasn’t stopped toe walking, there’s no need to panic. Still, you should contact a podiatrist to monitor or evaluate the habit. When you’re ready to explore these treatment options and move beyond painful ingrown toenails, reach out to Aesthetic Podiatry & Sports Medicine Center. Book your appointment online or by phone.
