4 and half year old walks on tippy toes all the time

amother

Cyan

Tue, Jan 17 2017, 9:28 am

Should I be concerned? He knows how to walk flat but he tends to walk on his tippy toes quite a bit and he can even run on his tippy toes. He walks and runs very nicely in general but he definitely prefers walking on his tippy toes and he does it quite well. What should I do?

octopus

Tue, Jan 17 2017, 9:38 am

It's called toe walking and you should definitely speak to your ped about it and if he recommends pt. google is your friend.

amother

Green

Tue, Jan 17 2017, 9:47 am

I would say that even if the pediatrician doesn't recommend therapy, you should see a PT. Some would say an OT. You can meet with both, and see which you feel better with. If the therapist takes a sensory approach, there is likely a lot of stretching work to do on the back of the leg and ankle, as prolonged toe walking will tighten the the muscles, thus making it more an more a default walking mode.
You can get guidance for good daily exercises as well.

While a toddler is learning to walk, toe walking could be a passing phase, but if you are seeing it for a long period of time, or at this age, it should be taken care of.

I am bringing my 2 year old to a PT for toe walking. She has taught be different stretches to do with her.

MyUsername

Tue, Jan 17 2017, 9:51 am

Yes, sometimes it requires PT. It will also likely only get worse, as continued toe walking reinforces the shortening of the muscles in the heel, which will make the toe walking worse.

You should get it evaluated to see what the problem is, so it can be taken care of sooner rather than later.

Culturedpearls

Tue, Jan 17 2017, 9:53 am

My 24 yo DS did that. We called him our ballerina. It was totally fine.
He stopped it eventually & we never made a big deal about it.

seeker

Tue, Jan 17 2017, 10:14 am

There's a difference between a 2-year-old and a 4-year-old.

This is often a sensory preference but if he's doing it a lot of the time you should see a PT because it can lead to bigger problems if the muscles get used to that position.

amother

Tan

Tue, Jan 17 2017, 11:09 am

My husband does that. He can walk and ran really fast.
He says it's because he has a short Achilles tendon.
Because of the way he walks he has very strong muscles.
I get nervous when I see my kids walking like that but they don't only walk on their tippy toes nor the majority of times or I would speak to the pediatrician.

queenert

Tue, Jan 17 2017, 11:11 am

Huh...a friend's sister did this until 5 and her doctor said it was actually good for her and that all kids should do it. She grew out of it on her own and as far as I know is totally fine.

twogees

Tue, Jan 17 2017, 11:13 am

My brother did the toe walk and his therapist taught him to walk heel to toe and when he starts walking on his toes, we remind him to walk on his heels by saying "how do we walk?"

FranticFrummie

Tue, Jan 17 2017, 11:19 am

Have your child go barefoot, or wear open toed sandals whenever possible. It makes it a lot harder to toe walk. Supportive shoes make it too easy to tippy toe.

If that doesn't work, then definitely get PT.

I kept DD out of shoes for as long as possible, and she developed very good posture and balance that way. Eventually we moved to shoes like Robeez, and then to soft sole moccasins. To this day, she takes her shoes off whenever possible, because she's so used to being able to feel where she's going.

mamushkadov

Wed, Jan 18 2017, 6:58 am

I did this up until I was about 5 I think. I just grew out of it, though if you're concerned I think physical or occupational therapy could help. I bh have no problems from it now.

country

Thu, Mar 23 2017, 4:58 pm

have a podiatrist look at it. just excerise may not help you might want to see whats causing it in the first place

shatzileh

Fri, Mar 24 2017, 5:58 am

I'd recommend a pediatric podiatrist. You'd want to know if it's something musculo-skeletal, sensory, or just your kid being a kid. I'm sure you'll hear stories of all three. They may also have good insight into how common it is for kids that age.

amother

Lilac

Fri, Mar 24 2017, 11:53 am

first step is pediatrician. the pediatrician will refer you to a PT or to someone else to deal with it.