Help for "Turned In" Foot

We were not referred to an orthopedic md until age 1 for my daughter's in-toeing. He barely looked at her, said it usually self corrects and to come back at age 5 if not improved. Finally, at almost 4 1/2 it seems to be improving. we have her in dance and trying to roller skate (anything that turns her feet out). I did some online research and for the most part it's a wait and see type of problem that usually gets better. as far as the walking, if he is not walking soon (definitely by 18 months) I would strongly pursue a physical therapy evaluation. You can self refer to the birth to 3 programs (babynet in sc, babies can't wait in georgia) if our doctor does not give you a referral.

I assume you mean a simple issue, where one foot "points" more toward the center instead of straight, not as someone else mentioned, where the foot rolls in so that he isn't stepping onthe bottom of the foot. My LO is 2 1/2 and he had a turned in foot. I could see it clearly in his footprints as he walked. One was clearly pointing in, quite a bit really. I knew these things usually self-correct, but I had my chiro look at it and she has adjusted him a few times. Not regularly, like I probably should, but just when my husband remembered and was able to bring him along on his visits. I don't know if that has helped, or if it is simply time, but it is now definitely improved. I would still say it turns in just a little, but it is not noticable unless you are looking for it. I imagine it will continue to improve. I would wait and see how your LO does and not worry overmuch yet. I wouldn't expect to see any improvement until he is walking for quite some time, and I would hope to see walking pretty soon!

My daughter had both turned in. She learned to walk in a normal time. She did fall down a lot more when running I think. We got 6 opinions counting the pediatrician who all said she would outgrow it. We went twice to a child's specialist who measured her two years in a row to prove to us it was to a lesser degree. My cousins wore braces to correct it many years ago, but here they don't do that.

It's called being pigeon-toed. I'm still pigeon-toed and I'm 40 -and it's also my right foot (and right leg actually)! It really won't affect him one way or the other, and many kids do grow out of it. I don't walk that way now unless I'm really tired. Corrective shoes don't work! It can help to get him involved in running sports and roller skating or dance when he's a little older if it's still an issue. Google it and you'll find there are several different types of being "pigeon toed." There are some fairly drastic surgeries out there to correct it, but I told my mom I had rather have my feet turned around backward than to have any of them! It's never been a problem in my life.

It all depends on the way it's turned in. Is his leg/foot straight? If so, the problem most likely lies in his loose & flexible hip joints and will correct on its own. You need to make sure that he does not sit in what's call the "tv position" where the child sits with both legs bent out on each side of them (sorry, hard to describe w/out a pic). My older twin has this issue and it is finally correcting at the age of 5 1/2 yrs now that we know what to watch for. The other possibility is that his foot or leg is actually curved. If this is the case, then there will be therapy required to correct it, and possibly even braces and more. We were very concerned about our daughter's situation until our Dr. asked us if she was having problems walking and running, etc. When we told the Dr. no, the Dr. then responded with "then let's not break what isn't already broken."

When you say turned in, do you mean he stands on the inside part of his foot (like his ankle rolls towards the floor) or that his whole foot turns in wards?

If it's his ankle rolling in, then yes, you need to get that looked at especially when he is walking all the time! This is called pronation and it will also look like he has a flat feet too. My son has this problem and he sees a podiatrist and and orthopedic specialist for ankle braces that he wears in his shoes. I have to do foot flex exercises with him to help loosen up his Achilles tendon too. We have been dealing with this since he was 2yrs old and he is 4 now. It is getting better, still flat footed so I'm trying an experiment with Arch Angels (his podiatrist has mentioned them before) inserts for his shoes and his ankles look great!!

Pronation can cause knee, hip and back problems later in life if not corrected early. Children's bones even at the age of 3 are still kinda soft enough to 'mold' into proper position. But early intervention will help a great deal.

The best thing you can do is make sure he is wearing strong bottomed shoes (stride rite type quality) when he is walking all the time.

Good luck!
S.