02 Feb 😬Is your baby walking on their tip toes all the time 🤞Been told that baby will grow out of tip toe walking when she starts walking, but baby can’t seem to find her balance to walk by herself and she’s over 18 months old now!

A quick Google search will reveal the common statement that “Toe walking is relatively common in toddlers, especially in the early stages of learning to walk.” So most parents 😅will accept that toe walking is normal part of development and their child will with time grow out of toe walking.

However, what most parents may not realise is, it is the percentage of time a child spends toe walking that is crucial to note. If a child occasionally gets onto their tip toe when reaching for items above their height, or goes onto their tip toe to “dance like a ballerina” for about 5-10% of their waking hours, then it is not an issue and part of normal development. If a child is 99% of the time on their toes when they are awake and walking, only placing their feet down flat to stand balance for 1 minute or only stands feet flat because their parents told them to, it is a concern and the child should be assessed by an Expert Paediatric Physiotherapist 🤓as soon as possible.

Scientific research has found that persistent toe walking after 2 years old, is often related to an underlying condition. And if toe walking is left untreated after 5 years old, there are complications such as muscle shortening, foot bone deformities, calf muscle tightness and pain, knee pain, hip pain and lower back pain that develops as a result of persistent toe walking. 😬

On the other hand, persistent toe walking can be easily corrected with Early Intervention to prevent secondary complications. The younger a child is, the easier and more effective the Early Intervention is. 😊The cause of toe walking can be different in each child, and as such the intervention will be different.

If your child is spending more than 30% of their waking hours on their tip toe, reach out to My Favourite Physio on 📱(02) 9790 4233 or DM us @myfavouritephysio to speak to one of our Expert Paediatric Physiotherapists today!

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