Toe Walkers

[wife]

My 6.5 year old dd is a toe walker. I tell her not to and she does for a second but then goes back to her toes. This has been going on since... well since she learned to walk. Any ideas on how to get her to walk normal?

[medbiller777]

Take her to see a podiatrist. This condition can sometimes be a physical problem. Walking this way can cause problems down the road for her. So I would have it looked at and corrected while she is young.:hug

[wife]

Take her to see a podiatrist. This condition can sometimes be a physical problem. Walking this way can cause problems down the road for her. So I would have it looked at and corrected while she is young.:hug

Thanks-- I do need to take her in for an evaluation. This is going on my list of concerns

[jadeeyes]

My daughter was a toe walker from the time she first started walking. I wasn't concerned at first because toe walking is common when children first learn to walk. However, she was still doing it when she started school. She also fell quite often. Over time, more problems developed and I knew something was wrong, but couldn't find out what it was. When she started having back pain in first grade, I took her to see an orthopedist. He xrayed her back, found nothing out of the ordinary and told me that she walks the way she does and keeps her head down and doesn't talk much because she's retarded. I was furious. She was making top grades in school and chattered incessantly at home. She wasn't talking much because she was shy around strangers. She kept her head down for 2 reasons. One was her shyness and the second reason is because she had to watch her steps to keep from tripping herself. I knew the way she walked was due t oa physical problem and that's why I went to see this doc. It ticks me off when a doctor is so lazy that he won't investigate the real reason a child is having problems. It's easier to label the child as retarded or ADD or autistic or just about anything. She was in 5th grade by the time we were finally able to learn that she had been born with a hereditary neuropathy. I'm not suggesting that your daughter has the same thing, but I'm warning you that you may have to see a lot of different people and have a lot of tests done before you learn what is causing her problems. Also, many podiatrists, pediatricians and orthos don't know anything about the disease my daughter, husband and granddaughters have. Only a neurologist was able to diagnose it. The disease, in case you need to know, is called Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease. You might want to rule this and similar diseases out.

[Cookies4me]

I hate to even second jadeeyes but I must. I have had several friends tell me that toe walking was the first thing that came about with their disabled children. The Dr's did over look it so it took them quite a few years to finally figure out what was wrong.
I would take her to the drs office and have then do a full check over her.

It could be nothing but it could also be a first sign.

:hug

[Cindy S.]

Do a Google search on: "toe walking"

Lots of info out there

[Cd4u_2]

here something you might want to check out. Most kids with ADHD walk on their toes. I guess it's because it's more exciting.

[wife]

here something you might want to check out. Most kids with ADHD walk on their toes. I guess it's because it's more exciting.

LOL or dangerous. My oldest is "ADHD" I say he is just a spastic boy... But I can see where my dd may be according to how I read girls with ADHD are.

[firstoftwelve]

it may also be shortened tendons or muscles on her legs. take her in to be evaluated.

[Marie_M]

I'm an idiopathic (habitual) toe walker. I'm 37 years old and have walked on my toes since I was teenager. I've never had it checked by a doctor, but have found that it has caused problems with my feet. I have a lot of ankle and heel pain at times and pull muscles constantly in my feet and legs. The habit has lessened some through the years.