Toe Walking: Activities to strengthen child's foot muscles and loosen tight calves 

As someone who walks this way and has since I was little I get what you mean but the main problem is standing becomes difficult Its hard to stand still or flat and easily it hurts a lot so stretching related muscles can help with those complications. I was not deemed autistic from it they can just tell my legs are built different and when I was real young I didn't care and didn't want to change myself for nothing but now I see reason to get better at standing, walking is no problem.

@@scwiftyspider277 give skipping a try, or pogo hops. Always helps to release tension.

Hi Ronald, I hope it helps! One suggestion moving forward as he gets older, you can come up with a code word. Anytime you say the code word it reminds him to put his heels down. This way it won't draw attention to him or his toe walking.

We are so glad you found this helpful!!

My daughter also walks normally when she is carrying something in her hands. Please ahare your experience.. is your child started walking on flat foot by doing these exercises? Please share your knowledge if u get answers to your questions

@@rashmiawasthi3988hello, this is a bit late but i’m a teenager and i’ve had a history of toe walking, and i’ve been to physical therapy for a few years twice. for me, the toe walking usually got triggered while i was running, going upstairs, or just walking fast. i was able to get braces that helped me stop, but even a good fit shoe could help prevent them from going on their tip toes. when they go into school, you could also ask their teacher to kindly remind them to stop walking on their tip toes if they are. but the exercises are the MOST important, because if they aren’t done then the calves will get tight and surgery might be brought up as an option unless you do physical therapy. that’s just my experience. good luck though!

"Hi Sugandha anand, That's great that you have been investigating ways to help your daughter learn to walk and that you've met with a neurologist! It sounds to me that if your daughter has increased tightness in her calves and if the toe walking interferes with her ability to walk independently, it may be helpful to work with a pediatric physical therapist. This way, they can help your family create a customized program specific to your daughter to help her learn to walk independently. The physical therapist can also help determine if the tightness in her calves was caused from being on her toes too much or if there is another cause. I have worked with several children around your daughter's age that struggle with walking independently simply because being up on their toes challenges their balance way too much. It's hard for me as an adult to balance while standing on the balls of my feet, so imagine how difficult this would be for a small child! One common cause for toe walking around that age is too much time spent in walkers/gait trainers and/or baby jumpers. These kids tend to toe walk more than other kids because they never learned the pattern of having their feet flat and have always been on their toes when in supported standing. That said, I would limit their time in these containers if possible if this fits the description of your daughter! A pediatric physical therapist may also recommend a certain type of temporary foot brace that helps reduce the amount of toe walking. It could also be that your child enjoys the sensory feedback of bouncing (as most children her age do), and this may resolve independently. Regardless of the reason for her toe walking, if this were my child, a pediatric physical therapist would be my next step in this process! I hope this helps and that your daughter starts walking soon!" Thanks, Erin Lundy

@@paulbunch5657 thankfully, my daughter started walking properly at 17 months. She is no longer walking tip toe. I think I just got impatient before time.

@@milestonetherapy1484 Hi my granddaughter same age has this same issue without the toe walking, her milestones are great except for the walking part she walks with support but for her age she should be walking without support her doctor said she should be running. I was told not to keep her in the walker and i stopped @5 months. when i stand her up to help her support herself at 15 months she gets scared and hold on to me or anything close to her.for dear life :( she has a future appointment with pediatric neurology because her pediatrician said her legs feel tight and she is walking like a baby who is just learning to walk, however she can bend down, crawl, play on her knees and even stand on the bed without support for about 2 min just standing there watching television but not on the floor without support

@@crystalpcullen Hi Crystal, It sounds like you are a very attentive grandparent and are smart to look into this! Toe walking typically concerns me when I see it limiting a child's ability to move by themselves, such as walking and balancing-- it sounds like this is a concern for you as well. I see walking delays with a lot of the kids I treat around your grandchild's age because when they are more on their tiptoes, it makes it way more difficult to balance than with heels flat on the ground. That may be one of the reasons why your grandchild is scared to let go of you and stand on their own. Imagine trying to balance on your tiptoes and walk as an adult-- very challenging! In my professional opinion, it may be worth reaching out to a pediatric physical therapist (you can get a referral from your pediatrician or the neurologist) when a child is toe walking at this young of an age. There are certain types of foot bracing they can customize specifically to your child based on their needs to give them more support at their ankle-- the bracing can also encourage your grandchild's heel to be flat on the ground. The physical therapist may also be able to customize some stretching and strengthening exercises specific to your grandchild's ankles and confidence with walking and balancing by themselves. I hope this helps and that your grandchild is walking/running soon!

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