If a child does not fully step on the entire foot while walking, but moves on tiptoes, many parents begin to worry about this. Can tiptoe walking be a symptom of some dangerous disease, until what age is such movement considered the norm and what should parents do if the baby has been walking on tiptoes for a long time?
Causes
Up to 3 years
A kid who is just learning the walking skill quite often gets on his toes. And if the child is not yet three years old, there is no need to worry.
For a child at 1 year old and at 1.5 years old, occasional tiptoe walking is absolutely normal.
If the mother took the baby's hand for 2 years, and he began to walk on tiptoes, there is no reason for worry either. After all, until the baby is 3 years old, he is just learning to walk and improves this skill. Many children try to walk in different ways until they learn how to do it correctly. And one of these ways has the right to be walking on toes.
Most often, the child becomes when walking on toes due to uneven tension in the muscles of the legs, which is called muscular dystonia.
Other reasons for tiptoe walking include:
- Frequent walker use. The baby learns to take the first steps on his toes and then learn how to put his feet in a different way can be difficult for him.
- High activity. The kid is full of energy and runs straight on tiptoes.
- Thirst for knowledge and curiosity. The baby tends to grow faster and periodically stands on its toes.
- Imitation of a mom who wears heels. Also, the child can see ballerinas and try to walk like them.
- Cerebral palsy. In the case of such a reason for walking on toes, the child will have other symptoms of this disease.
- Birth injury. It can affect the functioning of the baby's brain, but, as a rule, this cause is identified and treated long before the first steps.
- Pyramidal insufficiency. This is the name for the malfunction of that part of the nervous system that is responsible for the movement of the body.
- Psychological problems. When something goes wrong in the baby's family, the baby feels internal discomfort and begins to walk on tiptoes subconsciously, as if sneaking.
Older children
If a child is 4, 5, or older continues to walk on tiptoes, neurological disease may be the cause.
In addition, children over the age of three may tiptoe for the following reasons:
- They try to attract attention to themselves.
- Copy someone.
- Trying to look taller.
It happens that the child rises on his toes when he reaches for something, does not want to step on something, or is cold. These reasons should not be cause for concern.
What to do?
Parents who are worried about the constant walking of their baby on toes should contact a neurologist. The specialist will determine if the crumbs have other symptoms indicating neurological pathologies, and, if necessary, will prescribe examinations. Be prepared to answer the following questions during your visit to your doctor:
- What was the course of pregnancy and were there any problems during childbirth?
- Did the baby have oxygen deficiency during intrauterine development and the process of childbirth?
- Does the baby stand on tiptoes while walking constantly or sporadically? Under what circumstances does he start walking this way?
- In addition to walking on tiptoe, are there other symptoms that worry you?
If walking on tiptoe is associated with muscular dystonia, the child needs to be provided with the opportunity to move more - to get up, climb, crawl, walk on all fours, walk like a duck, on inclined and soft surfaces, barefoot.
Also, depending on the reason for walking on toes, the child may be advised:
- Physiotherapy.
- Electrophoresis.
- Baths with herbal infusions (use chamomile, string, motherwort, lavender).
- Remedial gymnastics.
- Paraffin boots (the procedure has its own contraindications, so only a doctor should prescribe it).
- Swimming.
- Correct selection of orthopedic shoes (pay attention to the presence of a hard back and fixing the instep with Velcro or lacing).
Do I need a massage and how to do it?
For most babies whose mothers complain about tiptoe walking, massage is recommended, which can be performed both in a hospital and at home. During the massage, mom should:
- "Draw" crumbs on the foot with the "eight" thumb.
- Stroke the baby's legs from the tips of the toes to the thighs.
- Use your thumbs and forefingers to knead the calf muscles of the baby.
- Move your feet away from you, and then towards yourself.
- Roll the child on the fitball so that the baby walks on the ball.
- Shake the baby's feet.
- Massage each finger separately.
- Bend the baby's foot with the back of your toes.
E. Komarovsky's opinion
A well-known pediatrician calls tiptoe walking the norm for children under two or three years old and claims that almost all babies go through the walking stage in this way when they master the walking skill, especially if the child often walks. The popular doctor notes that close attention is paid to this symptom because of its connection with some dangerous neurological diseases. However, in situations where walking on tiptoes is not accompanied by symptoms of dysfunction of the nervous system, according to Komarovsky, nothing needs to be done.
For more details, see the program of Dr. Komarovsky.
