The first steps of the baby is a whole event for himself and his parents. But sometimes relatives begin to notice that the child walks on toes. In this regard, the question arises - is this a norm or a deviation?
Walking on toes is not always a cause for concern, and such a symptom can disappear on its own. But also a similar method of walking can talk about various disorders in the development of a small organism, including neurological ones. So why does the child walk on toes?
Development rate
The child walks on toes. The reasons for this are diverse. The following signs are considered within the normal range:
- this happens when the baby is experimenting with a new kind of walking, plays, attracts attention;
- when imitating other people;
- if trying to reach for something;
- excessive mobility of the child, when during running or fast walking does not have time to stand on the whole foot completely;
- very often walking on toes happens in children who have used walkers for a long time. In this case, correction may be required.
The main sign that allows us to conclude that the child is developing normally is the situation in which this method of walking is not observed continuously, but periodically.
Pathological reasons for walking on toes
If the child walks on toes constantly, and he doesn’t succeed differently, then this can indicate serious problems. Mostly neurological and psychological in nature.
The main reasons are as follows:
- Nervous excitability.
- Hypertonic muscle.
- Psychological trauma or stress. These conditions can be accompanied by other signs - sleep disturbance appears, the child stops talking, relieves the need for pants.
- Violation of the musculoskeletal system.
- Muscular dystonia. A situation in which the muscles of the legs are simultaneously in hypertonicity and hypotension. This pathology must be treated in a timely manner, as it can lead to more serious consequences, such as impaired posture, lameness, and curvature of the spine.
- Pyramidal insufficiency. This is a disease that arose due to a birth injury to the cervical spine.
- Cerebral palsy.
- A very serious situation is when a child who was standing on his whole foot, after suffering a disease, began to walk on toes. There is a risk that the disease has contributed to the development of neurological problems. The same applies to vaccinations.
At risk are children who have suffered a birth injury, were born before the due date, and if there were complications during pregnancy.
Reasons to walk on toes in 1 year
Some parents are concerned about the fact that a child walks on toes a year. But at this age, this may be a normal condition. Many children begin to take their first steps by this age, and this way of walking is just trying something new. So, if a child 1 year old walks on toes, but doesn’t do it all the time, and there are no other reasons for concern, then you should not worry. The only recommendation would be to monitor the condition.
Walking on toes in children 2 years and older
When a two-year-old child walks on toes, the reasons are the same as those of one-year-olds. But still, this behavior should gradually come to naught. It is necessary to observe the baby - how often a child at 2 years old walks on toes, whether there are any deviations in the musculoskeletal system, whether there are neurological problems and an unbalanced mental state. If you have any suspicions, you should consult a doctor.
If walking on toes continues or abruptly appears at the age of 3-5 years, it is worthwhile, without delay, to seek the advice of specialists, primarily a neurologist.
Action measures
Many parents, after discovering this feature when walking, are wondering - if the child walks on toes, what should I do? First of all, you need to see a doctor, especially if the above symptoms occur. Since there are a lot of reasons for this behavior when walking, the method of treatment and correction is selected individually by the doctor. Consultation with several specialists may be required:
- pediatrician;
- orthopedist;
- neurologist.
If during the examination no serious pathologies were revealed, the doctor prescribes corrective treatment. It may include the following procedures:
- Therapeutic massage, in which blood circulation is enhanced, muscle tone, condition of ligaments, tendons are normalized. By the way, parents themselves can perform a simple massage. This may include rubbing the calf muscles, drawing a figure eight on the feet, performing movements of the child’s feet on itself and on itself.
- Physiotherapy. Increased blood circulation in the muscles.
- Electrophoresis is prescribed to relieve hypertonicity.
- Swimming. Develops motor skills.
- Paraffin wraps that relax the muscles of the legs. But this procedure is contraindicated in children with diabetes and diseases of the cardiovascular system.
- Wearing orthopedic shoes, but only after the advice of a doctor.
- Providing the child with space for movement.
- Walking barefoot on special orthopedic rugs.
- Balneotherapy.
- Medications are prescribed when other methods have not helped at all or have given insignificant results.
If within 12 months no treatment has yielded results, the doctor will decide on a surgical procedure.
When to see a doctor soon
There are signs that indicate that you need to see a doctor as soon as possible in order to eliminate serious consequences. These signs are:
- walking on toes most of the time;
- the child stumbles very often;
- the baby does not manage to transfer weight to his legs;
- the child loses the motor skills that he had before, or their delay has appeared;
- poor coordination appeared;
- palpation reveals stiff muscles of the leg.
What to do if a doctor insists on taking medication
There are times when the attending physician, in addition to the basic corrective treatment, prescribes medication. If there are no serious problems of the neurological plan, then the use of medicines is not entirely advisable. If parents do not trust their doctor, you can seek the advice of a third-party specialist.
The consequences of walking on toes
If the baby, after two or three years, continues to walk on toes for a long time, then without the proper treatment and adjustment of this condition, the heel may stop growing, since there will be no proper load on it. The front of the foot expands, thereby increasing the risk of atrophy of the ankle joint and tendons. Disproportionality is observed. This, in turn, can lead to the following consequences:
- Improper posture. With a long stay of the spine in a curved state, the work of internal organs may be disrupted.
- Deformation of the feet, leading to the curvature of the baby's legs. For this reason, it will be difficult for a child to lead an active lifestyle.
- Lag of the child in physical development.
- Clubfoot.
- Torticollis.
- Lack of coordination.
- Back pain.
Finally
In most cases, walking on toes does not require any serious treatment and often goes away on its own. If you take preventive measures with your child (massage, gymnastics), then this condition can be prevented before it appears. Do not worry if, in addition to such a short manner of walking, there are no more side symptoms. At the first symptoms of neurological or other disorders, you should immediately see a doctor. After all, timely consultation and, if necessary, treatment will be able to minimize the consequences. A timely identified problem is the first and very important step towards its successful solution. If you are wondering why a child walks on toes, only a doctor can give a competent full answer.
In any case, even if walking on toes does not occur often, it is worthwhile to seek advice from a medical institution as soon as possible. Indeed, in matters of the health of the child, precious time cannot be missed.