Does your child constantly walk on their toes? While occasional toe-walking may just mean you have a future ballet dancer on your hands, a child who always walks on their toes and can’t walk normally needs to see a doctor for diagnosis and treatment. Here are three common reasons why parents take their children to toe walking physical therapy in Buckeye, AZ.
Muscular Dystrophy
Many parents are concerned about muscular dystrophy if their child toe-walks. A child that walks normally and regresses to toe-walking is one sign of muscular dystrophy, but not all children with muscular dystrophy walk on their toes. There are also other signs like difficulty swallowing or breathing and inability to jump or run.
Short Achilles Tendon
The Achilles tendon runs along the back of the leg and can cause toe-walking if it’s too short due to a birth defect or musculoskeletal disorder. A short Achilles tendon is corrected with a combination of surgery and toe walking physical therapy in Buckeye, AZ, and most children make a full recovery by the time they start school.
Autism Spectrum Disorder
Not all causes of toe-walking are physical. Children with autism spectrum disorder often walk on their toes despite having normal function of their legs and feet. While not all children with autism walk on their toes, those that do may simply enjoy the sensory effect or the ability to reach higher places and grab things they find interesting.