Toe Walking

My daughter is 5 years old and has been walking on her toes since she first learned to walk. We have tried braces, physical therapy and just met with an OT on the Willbarger Technique. She seems to do it most often when she is excited, however, it seems like she is doing it more often lately.




I have found it difficult to find resources on toe walking. Any suggestions?

Thanks.



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Nov 25, 2013
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starstarstarstarstar 		toe walking
by: corrie durrance

my son is 4 years old hes a toe walker hes been doing pt for 7 months and has braces he sleeps in them and still toe walks now the orthopedic doc wants to do botox injections and my son has to wear cast for a week after the injections he can walk floot foot for a little bit and then hes right back up on his toes the doc says he might have some sensory problems also so now i'm having him tested for that.
Apr 25, 2013
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starstarstarstarstar 		Occpational Therapy.
by: Anonymous

Consult an Occupational Therapist. They will be able to help you.
Apr 30, 2012
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starstarstarstarstar 		toe walking & tight cords
by: Anonymous

My daughter is 14. She toe walked right from the start. Her doctor said she would probably grow out of it but she didn't. At 6 she started PT and had lots of exercises but she didn't stop toe walking. At 9 she had serial casting because of her very tight ankle cords - her feet were flexed and a plaster cast put on each foot. A few weeks later she had another set put on and then every week for 6 weeks. When they came off her feet were stretched so well she could walk totally normally and she could even lift her toes off the floor. She had night braces after that. Before her casting she couldn't even jump and land with bent knees, though she had a perfect point for ballet! Continued with physio but with each growth spurt she got tighter again and up on her toes. Another session of casting helped. However, she is far more comfortable up on her toes and as she is still growing she is still tight. She can walk normally now, but it is not always automatic. Walking far hurts her ankle cords and running at school is always painful. I think if she was willing to do stretches every day then it might help, but she would rather do anything but that at this point.
Dec 15, 2011
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starstarstar 		I don't know...
by: Anonymous

I'm 16 years old and for as long as I can remember I've been walking on my toes whenever I don't wear shoes. When I was younger my parents had me checked out, and it has nothing to do with my heels or calves - for whatever reason, I seem to have just decided one day that I would walk on my toes when barefoot, and it's become such a habit that I continue it to this day. So, I suggest not going to extensive measures to "fix" this toe walking, because it may just be your daughter getting some notion into her head. However, if she feels pain when walking flat footed, you may have reason to be concerned.
Jun 16, 2011
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starstarstarstarstar 		toe walking
by: Beth

Is the reason for your daughter's toe walking because her heel cords are too tight for her to put her feet all the way down? That was our son's problem. Our son started toe walking when he was about 18 months old. We, too, tried braces and stretching. Because his heel cords were so tight, and neither the stretching or braces seemed to be able to counteract the constant toe walking, he had surgery last summer to lengthen the heel cords. It was a very hard experience for him, but now he walks completely normally and never even attempts to walk on his toes.
Jun 15, 2011
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starstarstarstarstar 		Toe walking
by: Diane Lewis PT

Very common with sensory disorders and very difficult to treat. If she was a preemie, it could be from mildly increased muscle tone in her calf muscles. Some kids only toe walk when excited and it is like a sensory stim. The key is trying to find out for sure why it is occurring. Your PT should be a good resource for that. Since PT and orthotics were tried and it didn't help, they are now directing you try a sensory approach. It sounds like you are covering all the bases, but... Even trying everything is no guarantee it will change.

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