Children's Toe Walking Not a Sign of Bigger Problems
More than half of young children who toe walk will stop
doing so on their own by about age 5. And most children who are toe walkers
will not have any developmental or neuropsychiatric problems, a new study
finds.
"Walking is such a notable milestone, and if it is
not typical, it is often a concern for parents and physicians," says
pediatrician Lee Beers, MD, who practices at Children's National Medical Center
in Washington, D.C., and who reviewed the study for WebMD. It appears in the
journal Pediatrics. "This study certainly makes me feel more comfortable
when I see toe walking in children who are otherwise developing well."
Toe walking can accompany disorders such as cerebral
palsy and muscular dystrophy, but it also occurs among children who have no
such underlying conditions. In such cases, children are said to be idiopathic
toe walkers.
The cause is unknown, lead author Pahr Engstrom, MD, of
the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, says in an email.
It could be related to nerves, muscles, a mixture of
both, or another unknown factor, he says.
Prior to this study, the number of children who were
idiopathic toe walkers was also unknown.
The Study
The parents of more than 1,400 children participated in
the study, which was conducted in Blekinge County in southeast Sweden. At their
child's routine 5.5-year checkup, parents were asked questions about their
child and toe walking. Here's what the researchers found:
- Nearly 5% of all young children had toe walked at some time. However, by age 5 1/2, fewer than half of them were still doing so.
- Toe walkers typically begin doing so when they first walk independently, though some walk normally during the first year and beyond.
- Former toe walkers did so for one to two years before walking normally.
- Children still toe walking at age 5 1/2 do so about 25% of the time.
- Children with a diagnosed cognitive or neuropsychiatric disorder such as autism were more likely to toe walk; in the study, 41% of such children were current or past toe walkers.
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