What Is Toe Walking?

When a person walks overwhelmingly (most or all of the time) on their toes, not using the majority of their foot.

It's quite common in children under 3. However, it's quite unusual in children over 5. So children who habitually still toe-walk a lot after the age of 3-4 may be flagged up as needing medical attention.

Toe-walking may indicate neurological immaturity. Toe-walking is relatively common in children with autism. Usually autism is manifest and diagnosed long before the age when toe-walking is particularly noticed, though.

Toe-walking may also indicate a problem with vision, or balance.

When only vision or balance is involved, it can be relatively straightforward to remedy using measures. This would typically include wearing eye glasses or undergoing special physiotherapy for a year a two.

It also seems like in some cases that toe-walking has become such a habit that the child has literally shortened their tendons (in the back of the leg). Physiotherapy and special braces or surgery may be called for.

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