My daughter (9) is a toe walker. Meaning she walks on the balls of her feet. When we remind her to walk heal-toe, she's like a cat with sticky tape on her feet. Iv noticed she often curls her toes alot too when she walks.
She never complains about foot pain. Should I be sending her to the dr
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14 Replies
This is a sign of autism
I would be seeing a paediatrician x
She's not on the spectrum
Does she do it with shoes on?
Omg buying her shoes is a head ache. We have to tell her to uncurl her toes to make sure they fit.
I meant does she only do it barefoot? I can't walk on hard floors barefoot it gives me the eeber jeebers. I walk like your daughter. With joggers I am fine and my posture completely changes. It won't hurt to see a Dr and have her feet and legs checked out anyway!
You know she can't control the toe curling right? You know this isn't her fault? Is it a nightmare when she has a cold and sneezes?
It can be a sign of Autism or a foot/muscle problem that makes it more comfortable to walk on her toes. If it's new, it could just be a phase - even copying Barbie from the movie, possibly. So many variables.
Doctor and referral to whoever they think are suitable. I'm guessing a podiatrist if no other ASD indicators, or a Pead if her feet look fine.
Not on the spectrum
I wasn't implying your daughter was on the spectrum. I said see your doctor because it could be a variety of things, including..... as examples. We really can't tell you. You need it investigated.
I would get her feet looked at. She could have some tendon issues or something going on with them.
Can she run properly? Does she do ballet/dance?
You don't know what came first, the chicken or the egg. But I can guarantee if she's been doing it for a while, those Achilles will pretty tight now, making it more comfortable to walk that way. It's a vicious cycle. GP will probably refer you to an orthopaedic surgeon for a review, hopefully some physio and AFOs will do the trick, but if toes are already curling not a great sign. They can lengthen tendons if they need to. It's a multifaceted problem because it's physical and mental and fixing the physical, to make heal toe walking comfortable doesn't always translate to the brain. To see how tight she is, can she stand with feet together, flat? Can she walk on her heels? If she can do these two things its an excellent sign. The AFOs limit them so they physically can't get on their toes. Good luck.
They may also try some casting, changed at two week intervals for 6 weeks. This may help her gain range, but it's easy to lose if she goes back on her toes, hence why AFOs will be recommended after. It's a plaster they can walk in and they increase the stretch each change.
Does she know she’s doing it and have control over it? Or is it more subconscious?
I always walked on my tippy toes, because I hated the sound of my whole foot hitting the floor. I’m not autistic or anything, I just hated how heavy it made me sound (I also don’t have weight or eating disorders)
If she knows she does it, then figure out the why, if it’s subconsciously then a peadetrician and an awesome physio would be able to start to assess the medical reasons and any interventions that might be needed
Go to GP and get a referral to a physio therapist as well. There are many reasons why a child toe walks, it's not always autism although along side other symptoms it can be a sign of ASD. They will check her Achilles tendon and make sure there is no tightening in that or any other physical reason she toe walks.
My son is 9 this year and is an idiopathic toe walker, meaning he has no physical reason for him to do so. He is ASD.
Prolonged and consistent walking on the toes can lead to Achilles tendon tightening this is something we are now facing with my son.