Tip Toe Walking

I really dont have any adivice on how to stop other than physical therapy. My niece did the same thing and at the age of 6 she had to have corretive surgery on both of her feet because her achillies(sorry sp) did not grow. Just be awatre that this can cause serious problems and I wish I had some at home advice for you.

I have noticed that my son-in-law walks a lot on his tiptoes. Doesnt seem to cause him any problems...he is having a rather normal life. Why worry about it? Perhaps the rest of us are the ones that need "help" because we dont walk on our tiptoes!?

Hi P., All of my children did this when they were young. I have six children. My oldest was the one who did it the most though. She is now almost twenty one and she is perfectly normal. She does love to dance though. If your son can walk normal, I am sure he is fine. Good luck, and I hope everything works out.

My son also has (had) the same problem. His uncle, who is an orthopedic surgeon, said that this is due to a very tight achilles tendon. Do calf stretches with him at least once a day. The ideal time is when he is in the bath and his muscles are looser or just before bed. You can also make it a game where he tries to walk only on his heels with his toes up. He won't grow out of this, but you can make a big difference by calf stretching.

C.

P.,

My daughter too walked on her tip toes. The doctor said not to worry about it but said to put her in heavier shoes like tennis shoes and she would get used to walking flat. We did and whenever she has shoes on she doesn't go on her toes. She is now 14 and still, whenever she is barefoot she is on her toes!!

My son is 20 an has walked on his toes since he was 2. The only thing I found with it is that he makes an awsome baseball player. He can sit in the catchers stance for hours on end because of the strength and endurance he has in his legs. Dont worry if it continues, I didnt and!

Hi P.,

I wouldn't worry about it. I used to walk on my tip toes and I'm no ballerina. I'm 30 now and fine, walking around just like everyone else. Also all 3 of my kids did the tip toe thing and now only my youngest (17 months) is doing it. the other 2 grew out of it at around 3ish.

I have a three year old nephew who does the same thing, he is in physical therapy and is getting better. My sister has been told to keep tennis shoes on him all the time (stride rights are the best). In physical therapy they are mostly stretching his legs, because since he is always wanting to stand on his tip toes, it hurts him to stand regular, that could be the same problem with your son. Try stretching his legs and calfs everyday and maybe that will start to help. Good luck!

I wish I had your problem!
My son (age 7) is an Irish step dancer (think Riverdance) and his teacher is constantly telling him to get higher on his toes.
I wouldn't worry about it.
I am sure it will resolve itself as he gets older, in the meantime he'll develop great calves!

If tip toe walking is the only concern you have, then I would suggest calf stretches, wearing shoes that are snug on feet, and looking for other ways for him to get sensory input swinging, jumping on trampoline, etc.

If you have other concerns like speech, communication, transitioning concerns, aggression, hand or finger flapping, eye advoidance then talk to your pediatrician, but make sure you mention all of your concerns at the same visit for a full picture. Also you can have him evaluated through your public school "Child Find" for these same concerns.

P.
i am 41 and i still run on my tip toes every once in a while. but it took me a while for my mom to be nagging at me to stop it took her a while but her voice gets in my head when i'm on my toes so keep telling your kid to stop and it should make him or her think. and i have done it my whole life, no problems yet!
T.

Hi P.,

Does your son also have very developed calf muscles? It may seem like it is unimportant, and I don't want to alarm you. Please let me know.

My daughter always walked on her tip toes too. The pediatrician said it was fine and not to worry about it. We would tell her to walk flat but then when she wasn't thinking, back on her tip toes. She is now 9 and has outgrown it. It has been probably only about a year, year and a half ago that she stopped. One thing...she had great calves from all that tiptoe walking. I wouldn't worry about it, I'm sure he will outgrow it.

I definitely wouldn't worry about it -- it seems like tip toe walking runs in my family -- my kids and several nieces and nephews -- they all have outgrown it by about age 8-10. Doing it less and less every year until they stop.