15 Month Daughter Walks with Right Foot Turned In.

I would go see a pediatric orthopedist. Usually they are in Children's Hospitals. It may take several months to get an appointment so I would go ahead and make one. Then if it goes away you don't have a problem but if it is still apparent you don't have to wait more time to be seen. I am not a "wait and see" type of person with physical issues with kids. The earlier the better. If nothing is wrong then you have piece of mind and won't worry. If something needs to be adjusted you catch it early. A.

It's easiest to correct the younger the child is. I personally wouldn't "wait and see". I would get a referral to a pediatric orthopedic and/or chiropractor. Now, not in a year. Good orthotics, braces, physical therapy can do a lot w/ less intervention.

Hi W.,

I'm a pediatric PT and I see alot of kids with this. First of all, no, walking early did not cause your daughters foot to be like that. The trend these days is to take a wait and see approach because long term studies have found that a large percentage of kids outgrow intoeing by the age of 7. That being said I would recommend seeing a pediatric orthopedist for peace of mind and to rule out that nothing is going on that could be addressed now. As for shoes wearing a normal shoe isn't really going to change her foot position. Feel free to send me a message if you have any other questions!

My son did this as well and our dr told us not to worry. I took him to Shriners Hospital in Chicago to have him checked out because they said that often times when people wait to see if they outgrow it and most do. Those that don't have to have leg bones broke and reset. Not fun stuff. If your worried like I was have her go and get a second opinion. My son turned out fine but he did go back for a few checks to make sure.

Wait and see was likely due to her young age. My son was 3 years old when we noticed his in-toeing. The pediatrician referred us to a podiatrist when I voiced my concern. The podiatrist said he had metatarsus adductus (fancy name for in-toeing). All was normal through his heel, but the ends of his feet were curved inward. He prescribed the straight lace (medical Rx) shoes. Those shoes are identical in that there is not a left and right shoe. They actually look pretty cute with jeans. Some people commented on how they liked them, asking where we bought them, not realizing they were medical shoes. After a year of wearing those, it straightened out his feet. Apparently between the ages of 4 and 8 years old is when the feet are most easily pliable and such. The shoes worked really well correcting the growth of his feet. Braces seem more of a last resort thing as it's far more invasive. My 4 year old actually has his follow-up appointment on Friday at the podiatrist. Best wishes to you!

Hi W., Have you tried a chiropractor? Alot of babies have misalignments after birth.

Good Luck, Cathi

I would take her to an orthopedic doctor who has experience or specializes in pediatrics. Sounds like she has metatarsis adductus.. My daughter had that and was in a special shoe for about a year.. It helped to keep her foot turned out properly..
Fast forward: Our daughter is now 20 years old... She was a 4 year Varsity athlete and captain of the Highland Park High School gymnastic team....so you have nothing to worry about..

My daughter was born at 27 weeks, & one of her biggest issues was that she was extremely bow-legged & one of her feet turned inward, which I was greatly concerned about. She was followed by EI (early intervention) due to her pre-maturity. It was an issue that her physical therapist & I worke don regularly. The best advice I can give to you is if you have a concern, follow thru with getting answers. My daughter will be three on Wednesday & just last night my mom said she couldnt believe how her legs have straightened out. We did lots of exercises to strengthen her core & for awhile I would put on these velcro braces (they had a metal bar in the cloth that ran down the back of each leg for approximately 1/2 hour a day--I would put a DVD on and puit these on--(they kind of served as a reminder to keep legs straigt)--she did not like them at first. I also inquired about orthodics etc, but everyone told me if I had real concern, go to a pediatric orthopaedic (sp). Her physical therapist would measure the bend in her legs weekly which we were seeing to improve. You would never know it by looking at her now, but everyone used to tell me how she would stand like a rock-star. Well she is a rock-star & her legs are as straight as can be. My biggest piece of advice I can give to you is inquire & get information as early as possible, because what I have learned the most about having a child who was 3 1/2 months early is the sooner you get intervention the better the outcome will be. It sounds like something that will fix itself with time, but to educate yourself & get namess & numbers of therapy, options or doctors can only prepare you to make decisions regarding your child. Good luck, & feel free to contact me with any questions.

If your daughter has fallen on her butt alot with walking, running and climbing then she could simply have misalignments in her low back and sacrum. A couple chiropractic adjustments fixes that right away. I would take her to a pediatric chiropractor to have her examined and treated if that is what she ends up needing. I am a chiro that specializes in kids in Villa Park and I have seen children and infants with feet turned in and have fixed it in as little as 1 visit just by fixing the sacrum. I would definitely think about this option for your little girl. If you have any questions just let me know.
Dr B.
____@____.com
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Hi W., I was the one with a "turned in foot" & I am 47 yrs old now. I was put through so much. Full leg braces like Forest Gump (ugh), special shoes, a bar at night while in bed.... It was not my foot, it stemmed from my hips! I did not know that, nor did the doctors back in the day. In my early 20's, I was in a minor car accident and decided to get a few chiropractic treatments. This Doc took full body x-rays & asked about my feet and asked did I have gait issues. I said yes & he said your hip bone turns in ever so slightly which will throw off your gait. Maybe consider a chiropracter in your journey. My hips turned out during my 1st pregnancy (major pain in the last trimester) & I have been fine since. I'm thinking you may want a better solution for your daughter a little sooner than my personal time frame. Good luck on your quest for answers.
C.

Please get a second (and third and fourth) opinion before pursuing bracing. I learned how to walk with braces on my feet and there are several long-term effects of this now that I am in my 30s.

I agree with Julie. You could wait and see, or you could see a pediatric orthopaedic doctor for peace of mind. I used to work for a great doctor if you need a referral. Just send me a message. Good luck!

Hi W.! My son also had the same problem at same age. We took him to a pediatric orthopedic specialist and were told he had "internal tibial torsion" (layman's terms: the lower leg bone was slightly twisted inward". He told us not to do anything, should probably outgrown it by age 7. He is now 7 and doing great. He plays football, baseball and wrestles. No problems. I noticed a very, VERY slight turn in of his foot as he grew, but nothing anyone would notice. Just my paranoid-mom eyes.
I would recommend you take him to a specialist as well. If only for a piece of mind. We went to a group out of Rush-Copley Hospital in Aurora. I think it was Midwest Orthopaedics. Good luck!

I see you have a lot of responses. My brother had a slight case of that when he was young. The doctor suggested switching feet for his shoes. The little bit of curve your shoes have would help to correct the pigeon toe issue. It is at least something to try when at home! Hope it helps.

My daughter is almost 15 months and walks with her right foot turned in and sometimes her left. Sometimes they could be straight. I read that it is better when at home to let them walk barefoot which helps with the arch in the foot. I was concerned also and I called the peditrician and they said they won't do anything until they are 2 years old. They nurse said to try and put the shoes on the wrong feet. I went to see an orthopedic for me and I asked him what he thought and he said all kids do it and don't worry. Also, said not to put the shoes on the wrong feet. He told me there muscles aren't developed that good at this age and that is why they turn in. He said it should correct itself when they reach about 2 years old. Hope this helps.

Hi W., thanks for wondering about your daughters foot. I am the mother of three grown daughters....all had feet problems. I took them to an orthopedic doctor who put them in good shoes with added things. Their shoes all had arch supports and heel lifts according to whether they toed in or out. Toeing in, the lift goes on the inside edge of the heel. It worked wonders for all the girls. My last one, unfortunately, had braces but her problem was discovered when she was tiny and corrected rapidly. You do need to keep her in shoes all the time except nap and bedtime. I hope you find a good ortho or podiatrist to work with. The sooner the faster recovery and lest resistance from your daughter. W.

A chiropractor can probably fix this...my daughter had the same thing and a few months of very gentle chiropractic adjustments (once a month, our chiropractor charged $25 a visit) cured it.

B.

My girlfriend had this situation years ago with her son. She had him put in the leg brace and it was sad to see him but he grew up happy and athletic and didn't have a problem with his leg anymore. If you do nothing, I don't see how the situation could get better.

Hello W.-
I am a family chiropractor and this is one of the many things we see and help correct. It is usually easily corrected when properly addressed. Call the office or find a pediatric and family chiropractor near you at www.icpa4kids.org.
In Health,
Dr. J. Aardema
www.flowchiropractic.com
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Same thing happened to my dauther. Took her to the BEST Orthopedic surgeon for pediatrics and he told me that it is usually caused by them sleeping on the stomachs, butt in the air, with their feet tucked under them. So for 8 hours or so there foot is in a turned in position. He told us to go in her room after she falls asleep and pull her legs out from under her and dont let her sit on her knees. He also stated that studies have found that the leg braces actually have caused more damage than good so they do a wait it out approach and see how everything is after trying to change sleeping habits. We did this and now she is fine!

Dear W.,

I don't have experience with your particular issue. However, I am an adult whose feet turned in as a child. My pediatrician wanted to "wait and see." They did nothing, I did not outgrow it, and while it isn't life threatening, I do wish that my parents had pursued it when I was younger. Also, the younger the child, the easier it is to fix a problem like this. My daughter, now 7, had lots of physical therapy between the ages of 1 and 5 for low muscle tone, and she is fantastic now! If your daughter needs a brace, I'd get it as soon as possible to capitalize on 1) her growth rate 2)her lack of self-consciousness at this age and 3) her "flexibility" regarding trying new things which won't get any better as she gets older. Good luck!