When Rayms Early Intervention Person was here she noticed K was walking on her tiptoes (Raym just discovered this as well but its new for him and not often). Anyway she asked if she did it all the time.
I said no and she said ok. Well today Im noticing shes constantly doing it. I ask her to walk with her feet flat and she did for like three steps and went right back to tip toeing. WHen I asked her why she was doing that she said "Im not"
When K had her seizure when she was 2 and we were sent to a neurologist she watched K run down the hall and asked if she had cerebral palsy. We said no that she was just clumsy. BUt now looking at toe walking online CP is one cause of that.
Im wondering if I should take her back to the doctor or just let it go since she seems to function fine, she runs although wont be a track runner, can jump and whatever.
When to see a doctor Mention the toe walking to your child's doctor at your child's next checkup. Make an appointment sooner if your child is older than age 2 or the toe walking is accompanied by other signs and symptoms, such as:
Lack of muscle coordination
Stiff muscles
Difficulty with precise motions, such as writing or buttoning a shirt
I don't really know anything about it but it seems that if she is developmentally on target everywhere else it could just be a habit she's gotten into?
sending hugs -
-- Edited by sappy on Wednesday 9th of June 2010 09:35:52 AM
I would take her in. Just that combined with the input from others would make me want to go in and just see if there is cause for concern. But I tend to take the kids to the doc vs. waiting it out just to see what is going on.
I would take her to an occupational/physical therapist before I'd take her down a medical route.
We took Victoria to one, and she sees them twice a week. In addition to some motor issues that Victoria has related to her lack of depth perception caused by her strabismus, she also has some core strength issues that they're working on. We're seeing strong improvements.
Toe walking, I learned, is one sign of low core muscle tone. So is "w-sitting"... when they are on the floor and they sit with their legs bent back underneath them. I just googled this to provide an example:
You may need a referral from your ped to get into the OT, but it's well worth it... and I would strongly encourage you to pursue this path before going down a neurological one. The trouble is that many MDs aren't really aware of the non-medical/surgical treatments for things, and the field of occupational/physical therapy can do amazing things for kids that, unlike medical/surgical approaches, don't cause other problems and side effects later. If there is a true neurological issue or something that requires medical intervention, the OT is totally going to identify that and refer you appropriately. (They're also used to working with autistic and CP kids, so they'll be brilliant at helping you understand what type of issue, if any, you're working with.)
My cousin whos now 19 did this his whole life and it doesnt seem there is anything wrong with him. My neighbor girl does this everyday I see her outside and she looks about 10 or 11. I never knew this would be a problem relating to health issues. I mean, I would totally get it checked out to just have peace of mind because it could be one thing or nothing. But I wouldnt worry my mind out just yet. Go to the dr if you want a 2nd opinion.
emily was diagnosed as a toe walker around 2.5 years old.
it can be a sign of many different issues, ranging from neurological disorders to muscular problems.
the orthopedic surgeon we saw for her potential leg length discrepancy (which was determined not to exist) was more worried about the toe walking and wanted us to have her fitted for braces that she would sleep in to stretch her calf muscles to allow her to walk on her heels.
we were not willing to do that and instead spent almost a year saying "emily! heel-toe!" all day everyday to remind her to walk properly. now, the toe walking barely appears and she's doing much better. we also did some stretching for a while to stretch her heel cords - if they tend to toe walk, those muscles can get too tight, which inhibits them from walking properly, so it's a catch 22 of sorts.
i also nannied for a little girl who toe-walked and for her, it was one of many symptoms of her sensory disorder.
long story short - it could be symptomatic, or it could be nothing. i'd watch it, reinforce proper walking technique and go from there. if you want me to video us doing the stretches so you can see them, lmk and i will.
hth!
-- Edited by apies on Wednesday 9th of June 2010 05:11:57 PM
Our story is very similar to April/Emily's. Our doctor had us get Nolan an MRI last year to make sure it was nothing neurological.
He's fine and it turned out that his tendons in his ankles are just tight. He went for PT for about a year and we learned lots of exercises to help him stretch his tendons. Plus tons and tons of us reminding him not to stand on his toes.
He doesn't do it near as much now, but still does it sometimes.
In our case they said the reason it's not good for them to continuously toe walk is it can cause them to be flat footed later in life, among other things.
