Why toddlers walk on tiptoes

There may be a genetic cause as it is often seen in multiple family members. There are also other features often observed in children with this gait type. In some small studies, children with idiopathic toe walking have also shown speech and language delays and challenges with motor skills and sensory processing such as difficulty with balance and seeking out movement.

The most common observation in idiopathic toe walkers is tight calf muscles. This can make getting the heel to the ground even harder and can cause pain when children are trying to play sport. As you can imagine, children may be teased for walking differently. No single treatment permanently fixes idiopathic toe walking. Often time is the greatest fixer as the children get heavier and the toe walking gets harder to maintain.

However, as many children with idiopathic toe walking also have tight calf muscles, many health professionals recommend treatment primarily focused on making these muscles longer. Tightness in calf muscles in adults has been known to cause trips, falls and foot and leg pain.

Conservative treatment includes verbal reminders, stretching, heavy footwear, full-length orthotics, ankle foot orthotics, whole-body vibration , vinyl, carpet or gravel flooring , plaster casts to stretch the calf muscles, and injections of Botox into the calf muscles. Surgical intervention has primarily focused on lengthening the Achilles tendon.

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Give us a little more information and we'll give you a lot more relevant content. Your child's birthday or due date. Girl Boy Other Not Sure. Add A Child. Something went wrong. Please contact support fatherly. Toe walking sometimes can result from certain conditions, including cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy and autism spectrum disorder. If your child is still toe walking after age 2, talk to your doctor about it.

Make an appointment sooner if your child also has tight leg muscles, stiffness in the Achilles tendon or a lack of muscle coordination. Typically, toe walking is a habit that develops when a child learns to walk. In a few cases, toe walking is caused by an underlying condition, such as:.

Persistent toe walking can increase a child's risk of falling. It can also result in a social stigma. Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Your month-old's language and cognitive development: Asking questions.

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