Find out what toe walking is, how it can impact your child’s development, and how our pediatric therapists can help your child learn to walk with confidence.
What Is Toe Walking?
Toe walking is where a child consistently walks on the balls of their feet instead of first touching the ground with their heels. While occasional toe walking is normal in early childhood, especially as your child starts learning how to walk, persistent toe walking beyond about 2 years of age can indicate an underlying developmental or medical condition.
Signs of Toe Walking
The most obvious sign of toe walking is that your child’s heels don’t touch the ground when they walk. Other common signs or symptoms of this condition include:
- Difficulty with or dislike of wearing shoes
- Struggles with balance and coordination
- Frequent falls or accidents
- Pain in the feet, ankles, or calves
How Can Toe Walking Impact My Child’s Development?
While toe walking isn’t the end of the world, it can lead to uncomfortable challenges with your child’s later development or activity in life. Because walking on your toes can lead to troubles with balance and coordination, children who toe walk tend to have more accidents or falls. This can cause them to be unwilling to do physical activities like playing or participating in sports because they’re worried about getting hurt. It’s also simply uncomfortable and can cause chronic pain, which no child should have to experience.
How Physical Therapy Can Help with Toe Walking
Physical therapy is designed to help children build their gross motor skills like strength, balance, coordination, and more. We can teach your child proper walking patterns, plus strengthen and stretch the muscles involved in walking to make it easier for them. Through play-based, proven exercises and other treatments, we help children learn to walk with confidence.
Frequently Asked Questions about Toe Walking
Here are some questions that parents frequently have about toe walking. If you have a question that isn’t answered here, give us a call at (479) 226-3409 and we’ll be happy to help.
What causes toe walking?
Toe walking can be caused by various factors, including a short Achilles tendon, neurological conditions like cerebral palsy, developmental delays, or conditions such as autism spectrum disorder. It could also simply be a habit they never grew out of.
When should I be concerned about toe walking?
If your child consistently toe walks beyond 2 years old, you should schedule an evaluation with our physical therapists to make sure there isn’t an underlying issue causing them to walk that way.
Schedule an Evaluation
If you’re concerned about your child’s toe walking, Little Hands at Play is here to help. Call us at (479) 226-3409 to schedule an evaluation with our skilled physical therapists today. Together, let’s empower your child’s growth and development.
