OT: Son Walks on Tippy Toes

[hoosiergirl7]

My nearly 4 year old son started walking on his tippy toes about 9 months ago in bare feet and in shoes. Not sure why but it drives me nuts that he doesn't walk on his feet properly and I know that it's not good for his feet. I don't know how to break it though. I'm sounding like a broken record saying, "Stop walking on your tippy toes. Walk on your feet correctly." And even a few times I've said, "If you want to walk like that I'll put you in ballet."

He's starting preschool in 2 weeks and a bunch of people have already noticed that he doesn't walk correctly on his feet.

Is this something he'll grow out of??? Has anyone else had to deal with a child that walks on his/her tippy toes?? I don't know what to do because I want him to walk correctly so he doesn't have feet problems in the future.

I haven't talked to my pediatrician because the pediatricians on base where we are stationed have never given me good advice on questions I've asked them about DS. So I'm looking for other opinions.

Thanks!!!

 

[MSSANDRA]

You need to see a dr.My friend'sdd started this several monthes ago and when she took her for her physical, they found the tendon in the calves of her legs are too tight and they start PT right away. Tip toe walking can be normal but it also can be a problem. Better to know for sure.

BTW, if it is physical, he can not help it. Would back off till i knew for sure. Embarassing him will not help. If it is just a habit, perhaps a motivation chart would work or a secret code word to remind him to walk in a more natural way.

Good luck.

 

[crazykids]

It could also be something sensory related, I would definitely see the dr. My son used to walk on his tippy toes (he's 4 1/2 now) & what they found out what was causing it was that he is often hyper & from the excitability his muscles were tensing up. Through both physical & occupational therapy he's much better now & he very rarely does this anymore.

 

[Tosie]

Definitely have him checked out by a specialist. There are many things it could be a sign of, including a developmental, neurological or physical issue. Or it could be nothing - but play it safe.

 

[Vacation Lover]

I walked on tippy toes as a child, my dd7 still walks on tiptoes, although not as much as she did when she was 4-5, and my dd2 occasionally walks on her tiptoes. I have never had any problems with my legs and neither have my kids. I was very athletic growing up, and have very strong calf muscles. I've always assumed it was hereditary, but it can't hurt to check with a doctor if you're concerned.

ETA: My dd7 rarely on tiptoes when she's wearing her tennis shoes. If you want to break the habit, try keeping him in supportive shoes that make it hard to walk on tiptoes. He will most likely grow out of it in a couple of years.

 

[pednurse]

That was the same age my DS was when he started walking on his toes (he's now 9). His achilles tendons were too tight.....ended up doing leg braces (that wouldn't allow him to stand on his toes) and leg stretches 4 times/day to stretch out the tendons. He was in the braces for about a year (and at that age, they didn't stop him from doing anything nor did any of the other kids seem to notice them at all). If he's barefoot, I will still see him standing on his toes, but if he's in shoes he no longer does it (and he's a runner now....runs 5Ks with DH). At age 4 he said it hurt to stand flat on his feet, now it doesn't bother him....it's more of a habit that we're working on breaking. That being said, not all toe-walkers have a physical issue....some just prefer it for a while and then outgrow the tendency. The only way to really know is to have a pediatric orhopedist check him out to see which it is. I would get a referral to a specialist just to be on the safe side....it's easier to correct (if it is a physical problem) now than later when he's older.

 

[TruBlu]

My DS (now 8) was toe-walking about 80% of the time when he was 2. His doctor was very concerned because it can be an indicator for a tethered spinal chord. He sent us in for a MRI which came back fine. His diagnosis was tight heel chords. He ended up wearing leg braces for 2 years to slowly regain flexibility. We still do excercises, but otherwise he is completely fine. I would definitely have it checked out. A tethered chord can cause some serious dammage if you don't catch it soon enough.

Let us know how it goes.

Good luck.

 

[mom2of2]

This is something that I know a lot about.

My DS now 9 1/2 has been a toe walker all his life. I took him to the ped and family doctors who all said he'd grow out of it. "involve him in sports, get him in ballet" etc. I heard it all. I did get him in gymnastics but he didn't really like it and he's played soccer for 5 years. He's always on defense since he can't run as fast as the other kids. He had other issues as well such as ear infections, asthsma, stomach/bowel, poor fine motor. Every Dr appt I would ask if these were related in any way and was always told "NO" For 9 years I was told that they were unrelated and then he started having issues in school.

We thought he was goofing off and didn't want to do the work and just basically being lazy. Homework time was a nightmare and he usually ended up in tears. The last 2 years have been horrible. The older kids get the meaner they get. He started being called "Tippy toe boy" and was always being asked why he walked like THAT.

He was miserable. I was miserable.

I decided to hell-o with the regular doctors. I was going to a specialist. This was this past May. The Dr asked some questions and then checked the range of motion in his feet. He then asked about his birth. I didn't know what that was all about but I told the Dr. that his heart rate dropped and he had to have the suction cuppy thing put on his head to get him out. He got a hematoma and became jaundiced and had to be re-admittd to the hospital and under the bili lights.

The Dr looked at me and said without hesitation that my DS had suffered a brain injury at birth and has a mild case of Cerebral Palsy. Look up the defintion of CP. It describes my DS to a T.

He then went on to say that my DS needed surgery to lengthen the tendons in his calves. We did the surgery and the pain was so bad that he had to be admitted to the hospital. He wore 2 casts for 5 weeks and then when they came off started PT 2x a week. He was also fitted for braces and wears them for 10 hours a day.

School begins in a week and a half and the teachers have been informed about the CP and the surgery. He will be classified and get the extra help that he needs. He's not lazy-it's medical.

Not every child that is a toe walker has CP. Some just have tight achillies or calf tendons. Mild cases of CP usually aren't diagnosed until later after the child has started school.

I did everything right. I questioned every doctor that my DS has EVER seen. No one ever put it all together and my DS has suffered for it.

Please and I can not stress this enough.....Please have your child see by a Pediatric Orthopedist as soon as you can.

 

[AprilFool]

Is he short? My nephew (8) has walked on his toes for as long as I can remember. He is very short and started walking like that to be taller. Now his dr is talking about getting braces for his legs to correct the damage he has done to his tendons.

 

[louise']

My son was also a toe walker since he was a toddler. At about age 4 or 5, our peditrican suggested we see a ped neurologist as a precaution since he was born premature. He was diagnosed with idopathic toe walking. My son had physical therapy a couple of times a week for a couple of months. We then worked on stretching excercises at home. My son continued to walk on his toes about 50% of the time. At age 9, the ped nuerologist suggested night braces and a one dose of low-dose botox shots to relax the calf muscles. It has been 6 months and my son walks on his toes 0% of the time. The toe walking never affected my sons sports ability. He has always been one of the fastest and very good at sports.

 

[lady9]

WOW-my Ds is 11 and has always walked on his toes but usually only in his bare feet or maybe I only notice it when he is bare footed. He is one of the slowest kids on his baseball team so maybe the 2 are connected. Thanks to the OP for this thread. I definitely will have it checked out.

 

[Accentuate+]

A friend of mine always said her son "ran funny" when we'd watch him at baseball games. Kind of tippy toed. I thought he was just at an awkward stage but a trip to the Dr resulted in a dx similar to what others have mentioned. He had grown faster than his tendons. PT and exercises at home helped. Definitely get to a dr, preferably a specialist.

The doctors on base can refer you to a specialist. You might have to make a lot of noise to get it, but it can be done. You'll have a portion to pay if you go outside the military docs but as long as you follow the TRICARE rules (like if you need an authorization or referral - and you probably will) TRICARE should cover it. Try nicly at first but the squeaky wheel usually gets the attention in cases like this, don't be afraid to speak up often and do it loudly if you have to.

 

[lynninpa]

Definitely have him checked out by a specialist. There are many things it could be a sign of, including a developmental, neurological or physical issue. Or it could be nothing - but play it safe.

BTW, if it is physical, he can not help it. Would back off till i knew for sure. Embarassing him will not help.

These two posters have made excellent points. Please, have him seen.

 

[disney_me]

Tiptoe walking is common in some kids 2-5 years old. If you feel your child needs to see a Dr. then you should take him. He could benefit from Physical Therapy.

 

[MindyLuvsMickey]

My little guy walks on his toes only occasionally. nothing out of the ordinary in my opinion. I was also a toe walker and STILL am if I'm in my bare feet. I hate having dirt on my feet, so it's totally sensory.

I would have your son seen by a specialist just to be safe.

 

[mouse&moose]

Was he (or anyone else) a preemie? I hear this happens alot with premature birth.

 

[portia9]

This is something that I know a lot about.

My DS now 9 1/2 has been a toe walker all his life. I took him to the ped and family doctors who all said he'd grow out of it. "involve him in sports, get him in ballet" etc. I heard it all. I did get him in gymnastics but he didn't really like it and he's played soccer for 5 years. He's always on defense since he can't run as fast as the other kids. He had other issues as well such as ear infections, asthsma, stomach/bowel, poor fine motor. Every Dr appt I would ask if these were related in any way and was always told "NO" For 9 years I was told that they were unrelated and then he started having issues in school.

We thought he was goofing off and didn't want to do the work and just basically being lazy. Homework time was a nightmare and he usually ended up in tears. The last 2 years have been horrible. The older kids get the meaner they get. He started being called "Tippy toe boy" and was always being asked why he walked like THAT.

He was miserable. I was miserable.

I decided to hell-o with the regular doctors. I was going to a specialist. This was this past May. The Dr asked some questions and then checked the range of motion in his feet. He then asked about his birth. I didn't know what that was all about but I told the Dr. that his heart rate dropped and he had to have the suction cuppy thing put on his head to get him out. He got a hematoma and became jaundiced and had to be re-admittd to the hospital and under the bili lights.

The Dr looked at me and said without hesitation that my DS had suffered a brain injury at birth and has a mild case of Cerebral Palsy. Look up the defintion of CP. It describes my DS to a T.

He then went on to say that my DS needed surgery to lengthen the tendons in his calves. We did the surgery and the pain was so bad that he had to be admitted to the hospital. He wore 2 casts for 5 weeks and then when they came off started PT 2x a week. He was also fitted for braces and wears them for 10 hours a day.

School begins in a week and a half and the teachers have been informed about the CP and the surgery. He will be classified and get the extra help that he needs. He's not lazy-it's medical.

Not every child that is a toe walker has CP. Some just have tight achillies or calf tendons. Mild cases of CP usually aren't diagnosed until later after the child has started school.

I did everything right. I questioned every doctor that my DS has EVER seen. No one ever put it all together and my DS has suffered for it.

Please and I can not stress this enough.....Please have your child see by a Pediatric Orthopedist as soon as you can.

I am so sorry that it took so long to find out that there was a problem. What a difficult number of years that must have been for you. Kudos to you for taking matters into your own hands.

Yvette

 

[pednurse]

Is he short? My nephew (8) has walked on his toes for as long as I can remember. He is very short and started walking like that to be taller. Now his dr is talking about getting braces for his legs to correct the damage he has done to his tendons.

Was he (or anyone else) a preemie? I hear this happens alot with premature birth.

Just to address these 2 points....this is not necessarily always the case with shortened tendons. My DS was neither a preemie (definitely not weighing in a birth at 8 1/2 pounds! LOL), nor is he short.....he's actually always been very tall for his age (off the charts when he was a baby & toddler, now still in the 90th percentile). The specialist we saw said it was because his achilles tendons didn't keep up with the rest of his rapid growth rate.

 

[applechips]

My dd is 6 and a toe walker. She has done this since about 2 years old. She used to get terrible pains in the backs of her knees in the middle of the night but otherwise no other problems. My dad (teaches in a physical therapy department) said last year that she might have short hamstrings or tight Achilles tendons and so we started doing stretches with her. The pain in the back of the knees seems to have subsided but she still walks on the toes sometimes. She can even, and I saw her today do this, ...she can walk *literally* on her toes, she curls the toes under and walks on those toe joints too in addition to walking on the ball joints.

My son is almost 3 and *just* started doing this, but it might be habit, from watching sister??? However my HUSBAND was a toe walker his mom said, and ran track in HS and never really had problems but he does have tight hamstrings and Achilles and can't stretch for the life of him.

My daughter *was* born 3 weeks early, weighed 7lbs and was a petite thing but healthy. She had some issues with her birth --cord broke sometime when she crowned, ended up with blood in her mouth, however her heartrate never fluctuated as far as we know, the doppler was on my belly when she was crowning and was fine...and she cried within 5 seconds of being born (we have it on tape so we went back and looked and listened. But I dunno... I guess its off to the ped doctor soon.

I have read that this can be a form of CP but can also just be "idiopathic toe walking", meaning "they-have-no-clue-what-causes-it" toe walking.

Scares me though... My son was born 2.5 weeks early but was a chunker, 9lbs... *sigh*


But yeah I agree with one of the posters above, definitely get him evaluated and don't embarrass him w/ comments about ballet, that will only make him feel awful about himself.

 

[dazeddaisy]

I would get him checked with a few doctors.

That said, I used to roll my toes under my feet and walk like that (think walking on your toe joints/knuckles??) whenever I was in bare feet. In shoes I would walk on my tip toes. My parents went to a million specialists for years to try to stop me doing it. Turns out I just liked doing it.

I apparently when I started school I started walking properly all the time, but on ocassions on bare feet I will walk on my toes (either or). Makes wearing really high, high heels a breeze (not that I do) and I have amazing calf muscles from it.