3 Yr Old Walking on Tippy Toes.. Shortened Achilles Tendon.. Any Advice??? !!

Hi S.,

We just went through this with my son, he will be three in June, I had read on the internet somewhere people had said they put their kids in high top tennis shoes but that they are hard to find. Well we had a pair of boots and this winter we put him in the high top boots and it has almost corrected the problem. Sometimes when he is barefoot he will still walk on his tip toes and I just remind him to walk flat footed and he will, I think when he is barefoot it is more habit than anything. I don't know if you would have any success finding high tops especially for a girl but that is what worked for us the high top boots.

Good Luck, Steph

S.,

My daughter will be 4 next month and has walked on her toes since she started walking @ 13 months. We recently went to Children's Mercy to the Orthopediac clinic and the Dr wants us to goto physical therapy once a week for 2 months to retrain her to walk on her feet correctly. We have gone 2 times to therapy and have gotten some great advise on how to help. If you would like more info let me know. I'd be happy to share. A.

I walked on my toes all the time when I was little as well and have not ever had any problems. My daughter also walks on her toes occationally and since I have known people who have had to have surgery because of this, I asked our doctor about it. He said as along as she walks normally some of the time, it should not be an issue. If you are really worried about it, you might just try doing some stretching exercises with her. Let her lay down on her back with her feet in the air while you press lightly on the balls of her feet, something like that. Make a game out of it as part of the bedtime routine. Also, do you let her walk around barefoot or does she ware shoes all the time. It is harder to walk on your toes when you have shoes on, not impossible, but harder especially if the shoes have harder soles. Hope this helps!

Hi S.,
My husband walked on his toes when he was young, but as an adult he walked normally. However, as an adult he ran on his toes and was faster than anyone else I knew. He never has had any gait problems as well.
My youngest daughter also walked on her toes as a youngster and has not had any problems either.
My 3 yr old grandaughter also walks on her toes and I am not worried about it because of the past experience that I have had with this. I know this isn't the advice that you asked for, I just wanted to let you know that you may not need to worry about it. Our family history indicates that it is not a problem. Have a Great Day!

My sister is nearly 50 and has always walked on her tiptoes, and runs that way, but has never had a problem. What I would say is that, to unsure that this is a natural way of walking for her (as opposed to it being a tight achilles problem) ensure that she sits in a squat position, with her heels on the floor, as often as possible. This is THE natural way of 'sitting', and it is what keeps us flexible in many ways, not just the achilles. Chairs are an invention, squatting isn't. If she can squat but walks on her titptoes anyway, leave her to it.