Jumping gait in a child causes. Duck gait is a sign of what disease? Wheeled feet may indicate osteoarthritis

Health

When you walk into a doctor's office, an experienced specialist can tell a lot about you in just a few seconds. Your movements, gait, stride length and posture while walking provide amazing information about your health and how you feel.

“Many doctors, when they see a person walking down the street, determine his diagnosis, they can tell if she is in good health. They notice details in his walk that indicate what he is sick with.”, - He speaks Charles Blitzer, orthopedic surgeon from Somersworth, New Hampshire, representative American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons.


1) Slow Walking: May Indicate a Short Lifespan


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Walking speed is an important predictor of a person's lifespan, research has shown. University of Pittsburgh. About 36,000 people over 65 took part in the research. In fact, it was found that walking speed is as important a factor in life expectancy as age, gender, chronic diseases, smoking, body mass index, hospitalizations, and others. The speed of movement is especially important for people over 75 years of age.

The average walking speed is approximately 1 meter per second (3.6 kilometers per hour). Those with a walking speed of less than 0.6 meters per second are at risk of dying earlier. Those who walk faster than 1 meter per second live longer than people of the same age and gender who want to go slower.

In 2006 in the magazine The Journal of the American Medical Association there was information that older people aged 70 to 79 years old, who were not able to move faster than 0.4 meters per second, in most cases after 6 years were no longer alive. They more often suffered from diseases and were incapacitated shortly before death. Earlier studies showed that men aged 71 to 93 who walked at least 3 kilometers a day were 2 times less likely to suffer from heart disease compared to those who walked very little (less than 0.5 kilometers a day) .

Of course, if you intentionally walk faster and faster, it will not cure you of any diseases. Each person has his own natural speed of movement, which is based on the state of health. If you walk slowly, this indicates some kind of health problem that shortens life expectancy.

2) Weak arm swinging while walking can indicate problems in the lower back


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Our body is very interesting. When our left leg moves forward, the spine turns to the right, and the right arm moves back and vice versa. This coordination of muscles on both sides supports the lower back area. If a person does not swing their arms much while walking, this indicates that their lower back is not receiving the necessary support due to mobility problems in this area. This can be followed by back pain or even serious injury. Waving your arms while walking is an important indicator of how well your back is functioning.

3) Scuffing your feet may indicate damage to the vertebra


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Sometimes the experts don't even need to see you walk, they just need to hear the sound of your footsteps. We are talking about when you are not able to raise your leg high while walking, so the sole of the foot touches the floor. The result is a shuffling gait. This may be due to weakness in the anterior calf muscle or other leg muscles.

A healthy step starts with your heel on the ground, then slowly lowers your foot, bringing your heel up on your toes and off the ground. If you have a drop foot, it is difficult to control the muscles and the foot cannot slowly return to the ground, so it does not leave the ground at all.

"Sometimes it can indicate symptoms of an impending stroke, neuromuscular problems, or a pinched nerve.", says foot specialist, orthopedist Jane E. Andersen from North Carolina. Basically, this is a consequence of damage to the vertebra, which puts pressure on the nerve responsible for the movement of the legs.

4) Confident walking (in women) may indicate sexual satisfaction


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Gait can often indicate not only something bad. Studies that have been conducted in Belgium and Scotland have shown that a woman's walk can indicate her ability to have an orgasm. Women with a quick and energetic gait are more likely to have regular vaginal orgasms. The scientists compared the gait of women who were satisfied with their sex lives with those who were not completely satisfied. (In this case, the researchers looked at the ability to have an orgasm during intercourse without direct stimulation of the clitoris.)

What is the connection here? In theory, the ability to have an orgasm is related to the muscles, which should not be weak or too tight. As a result, the walk will be freer, easier, scientists said, and the woman will be more self-confident.

5) Small steps can indicate problems in the knees and hips


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When the heel touches the ground at the very beginning of the step, the knee should be straight. But this does not work if you have a knee problem. In this case, you may have a damaged joint that does not move properly in the patella. Such problems can often be corrected with manual therapy.

Another reason for small steps can be a problem with the movement of the hips. During small steps, a person does not need to extend the leg too much. Unfortunately, small steps can be detrimental to the health of the back, as they put pressure on it. If the hip extension is poor, it can lead to back pain and nerve problems in that area, among other problems.

6) Shoulder drooping to one side while walking can indicate spinal problems


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Muscles on the inside of the thighs, called abductors, keep the pelvis level while walking. Thus, when we lift one leg and push it forward while standing firmly on one leg, the abductors keep the body straight, but only if they function correctly. In a normal gait, when the heel touches the ground, the pelvis moves slightly to the same side to reduce pressure on the muscles on the other side. Sometimes the shoulder also moves to the side, which indicates problems in the back.

7) Wheeled Feet May Indicate Osteoarthritis


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"Imagine an old feeble man with crooked legs, - says the orthopedic surgeon Blitzer, - He looks like this because he suffers from arthritis in his knees.". 85 percent of people with osteoarthritis, which mostly appears with age, have wheeled feet, he says. The legs are twisted due to the fact that the body cannot be supported properly. Vitamin D deficiency and genes can cause crooked legs, but this is more common in children than adults. Usually when children grow up, the problem disappears, but sometimes it is corrected with a special bandage.

8) Xsom Feet May Indicate Rheumatoid Arthritis


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This is one of the inflammatory diseases in which the legs are curved inward. About 85 percent of people with rheumatoid arthritis have X-shaped legs, Blitzer says. In this condition, people have a peculiar slightly awkward gait, the shins are tightly shifted, and the ankles are at a great distance from each other. In some cases, X-foot is also seen in people with osteoarthritis, depending on which joints are affected.

9) The person does not fit into the turns: may indicate poor coordination of movements


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Balance is a function of coordination between three body systems: vision, the inner ear, and what is called the sense of one's own posture in space. The joints give the ability to sense position through the connective tissue receptors around them. The quality of the receptors is related to how much movement a joint can produce. If you move a lot, you will activate a large number of receptors and, as a result, your body will feel better.

In this case, your body balance is better. This is why people who are out of balance often look rather frail and their health suffers. If your balance is off, you may not fit into turns, easily bump into something while walking. You may also have trouble climbing stairs, as it requires you to be able to balance freely while standing on one leg.

Some patients who are unsteady on their feet are reluctant to use a stick or other means of balance because they are afraid of looking old. For such patients, it is better to use improvised means and move more, rather than lead a sedentary lifestyle, in order to get better, doctors say.

Balance problems can also result from peripheral neuropathy, nerve damage due to diabetes. Other causes are excessive alcohol consumption and vitamin deficiencies.

10) A straight foot when walking can indicate flat feet, problems with the big toe, neuromas


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A straight foot can be seen from the side. When a person walks, his foot practically does not bend. This is often caused by flat feet. However, there are other reasons for this phenomenon. This type of movement is a person's attempt to maintain balance when they experience pain when walking due to thumb problems. This may be an abnormal increase in bone or tissue around the big toe. Also, the cause may be a neuroma, a tumor of the nervous tissue on the leg. This is a rather painful thickening of the nerve between the third and fourth toes. A person changes the style of walking in order to avoid pain.

11) Leg Dragging May Indicate Parkinson's Disease


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In this condition, it is difficult for a person to move his legs when walking and therefore he seems to be dragging his legs behind him. Sometimes such a gait indicates Parkinson's disease. An unsteady gait and small steps may also be observed. "Usually when a person begins to drag their feet - this is a clear sign of Parkinson's disease, a neuromuscular disease", says Blitzer. In addition to tumors, such a gait is the first symptom of the disease.

People with dementia, such as Alzheimer's, can also often drag their feet due to thinking problems. In this case, the connection between the brain and muscles is broken. However, by the time a person acquires such a gait, he already has more obvious signs of the disease - problems with memory, thinking, and others.

12) Tiptoe Walking May Indicate Central Paralysis or Spinal Injuries


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With this walk, the toes touch the ground before the heel touches it. This is due to the overactivity of muscle tone, which is caused by improper functioning of stretch receptors. If you're tiptoeing, you're more likely to have spinal or brain damage, such as an injury or cerebral palsy.

Sometimes small children who are just starting to walk also stand on tiptoe for a while, but this is not associated with any health problems. If you are still worried, consult your doctor.

13) A limp gait may indicate a stroke or that a person has one leg shorter than the other.


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Doctors often pay attention to the symmetry of the gait. For example, if a person steps with one foot correctly, and presses the other a little. If the problem is symmetry, it may indicate a stroke, which affects one half of the body.

If you have one leg shorter than the other, you can tell by how you walk, experts say. The person seems to be lame: he steps on one leg normally, but does not bend the foot of the other leg when walking. This may be a birth defect or the result of a kneecap or hip replacement surgery. If one leg is no more than 2 centimeters longer than the other, this does not cause health problems. The difference in length can be corrected with appropriate footwear. If the difference is greater, resort to surgical intervention.

14) A bouncing gait may indicate overly tight calf muscles.


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Sometimes while walking a person jumps. Doctors say that tense calves can be the cause of this phenomenon. This usually happens in women due to the fact that they constantly walk in high heels. Sometimes it happens that women who are advised by doctors to go in for sports in old age cannot do this just because it is difficult for them to put on flat shoes. Sometimes this can happen to younger ladies who have been constantly wearing heels since their teenage years.

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Gait is a complexly organized “controlled fall”: in every step we use the nervous system, the musculoskeletal system, and we do it unconsciously. There are many myths about what walking can tell about a person.

But there are 7 features behind which real diseases can hide, and this has been confirmed by scientific studies:

website figured out what types of gait speak of hidden health problems. If you notice one of the listed features for one of your friends or relatives, recommend to see a doctor.

1. Short stride

Possible causes: A knee or hip problem. When we take a step forward, the knee should be fully extended. If it is difficult to straighten the leg, this may indicate a violation in the functioning of the joints. As a result - a small step amplitude.

2. Limping

Possible cause: back problems. When we take a step with the right foot, the muscles on the other side of the torso act as a stabilizer and we move the left hand forward. The principle works for every step.

If the range of arm movements is small, there are back problems: intervertebral hernia or other disorders. Stiffness of the hands when walking is a signal to contact an orthopedist and a neurologist.

4. Spanking

Possible causes: multiple sclerosis, neurological disorders, muscle problems. Instead of landing straight on the ground, the foot drops sharply, loudly and uncertainly. The reasons for such walking can be: muscle dystrophy, pinched nerve, back problems or multiple sclerosis.

5. Rocking

Possible cause: head trauma. If you see that it is difficult for a person to keep balance and he sways a little when walking, do not rush to conclude that alcohol is the reason. It may be the result of an injury. In addition to problems with balance, after an injury, you may feel dizzy when going up and down stairs.

6. Snail speed


If a child walks on toes, the causes of the phenomenon are different. In one child, this tendency speaks of diseases, while in another it is the usual desire to become taller. Is this a harmless symptom, what to do in this or that case? Let's figure it out together!

The main reasons for walking on toes

When a child walks on toes, the reasons can be both pathological and behavioral. It is considered within the normal range when a child under one year old moves, swaying from side to side, twisting his feet, or towering at the expense of his toes.

If a child walks on toes, the reasons may be play, fear and apprehension. In order not to betray his location with loud steps, he moves on tiptoe.

Reasons for walking on toes can be:

  • Cold floor in the house.
  • The presence of a splinter or the memory of it.
  • Getting the attention of parents.
  • Copying the walk of women in heels.

Parents have cause for concern, we are talking about five diseases:

cerebral palsy

A disease that develops in young children. The reason for its appearance is the wrong course of pregnancy or the birth process. Tiptoe walking is the main symptom.

Birth trauma or premature birth

It is possible to learn about such a deviation long before the parents see the first steps of their child.

pyramidal insufficiency

It manifests itself in disorders of the nervous system. According to doctors, this is a common diagnosis.

Incorrect positioning of two feet or foot

This phenomenon appears in children who were put into walkers from an early age.

Muscular dystonia

With muscular dystonia, there is a violation of the child's activity and increased muscle tone.

Causes of incorrect walking at different ages

Causes in a two-year-old baby

A small child may just like to walk on tiptoes.

If the child is 2 years old, and he walks on his toes, the reasons are often harmless. For prevention and to calm your child, you can sign up for a foot massage.

Speaking about the development of diseases, they are detected by the end of the first year of life and manifest more terrible symptoms.

When a child walks on toes, Komarovsky sees this as the reason that his calf muscles are developed. The doctor does not find anything terrible in such a pattern.

Reasons for walking on toes the doctor attributes the habit that is developed after a long stay in a walker. In the wrong walker, the baby is unable to lean on the surface with the whole foot.

Reasons for a five-year-old baby

If a child is 5 years old, and he walks on his toes, are there any non-terrible reasons? Firstly, if you have any concerns, it is recommended to consult a doctor - a pediatrician, orthopedist, neurologist.

As many doctors say, if a child walks on toes at 3-4 years old, the reasons are not serious, provided there are no other symptoms. This phenomenon disappears over time without special treatment. By the age of five, it disappears and children begin to step on a full foot.

Parents should be concerned if they notice:

  1. Appetite disturbance.
  2. Sleep disturbance.
  3. Wrong coordination.
  4. Complaints about headaches.
  5. Decreased activity.

In the presence of these symptoms, you will have to contact a neurologist, who, after examination, will prescribe an additional examination.

Causes in older children


A claw-like foot is a possible cause of a child walking on toes. The development of deformity can be affected by injuries, pathologies of the neuromuscular apparatus

If a child is 8 years old, he walks on his toes, the reasons lie in the violation of the development of the musculoskeletal system and neurology.

It's one thing if he gets up on his toes by mood or necessity. And it’s quite another if he regularly moves like this.

Parents should monitor their child's behavior for other symptoms.

Especially if the child was previously diagnosed with or.

It is rare that a child begins to suddenly stand on tiptoe. More often, the deviation manifests itself from the moment the baby begins to take the first steps.

When a 10-year-old child walks on toes, the reasons may be the same as in younger children. Perhaps the child thus wants to relieve emotional stress. Such a symptom can occur in a child both with hyperactivity, increased excitability, and in a shy, prone to anxiety.

Medical treatment for toe walking

Medication may include taking certain medications. Their choice largely depends on the reason for the child's walking on toes. It can be both vitamin complexes and serious drugs that affect the nervous system.

The doctor may prescribe:

  • A course of physiotherapy, UHF or electrophoresis.
  • Taking baths with herbs.
  • Massage.
  • Daily gymnastics.
  • Swimming.

These treatments are effective, efficient and proven. Thanks to their implementation, you can get rid of the disease in less than a month. Subject to timely treatment to the doctor.

Do not remain indifferent to the fact that the child often walks on tiptoes! It is better to consult a doctor and find out the true cause as early as possible. The health of the child and his happy life depend only on you.

Giving a baby a massage

With regular walking of a child on toes, massage may be required. It is desirable that the massage is carried out by an experienced specialist.

Effective massage techniques can be performed at home:

Flexion and extension of the foot

The movement is performed reflexively. To do this, you need to gently press on the area that is under the fingers, moving from the little finger towards the heel.

Stroking movements on the foot

Massage movements should be clear and painless

To perform it, you should put the index and middle fingers of one hand on the instep of the foot, and hold the child's leg with the other. Draw a figure eight on the foot with your thumb.

pacing

A small child should be placed on a hard, level surface, forcing him to walk on it. The child must be kept on weight, under the arms, making sure that he rests completely on all feet.

Squats

It will take 15 sessions to restore normal walking. In order to prevent the course is recommended to repeat in a month.

If the child walks on tiptoes, and the parents do not know what to do, It is recommended to listen to the following 5 tips:

  1. Thoroughly approach the choice of shoes, giving preference to orthopedic models. The most important thing is that the instep of the foot is fixed with lacing or Velcro fasteners. It is recommended to buy shoes in size from quality material. Ideally genuine leather.
  2. Make sure he goes barefoot at home. It is good if the child walks barefoot on the street in the summer - on sand, shells, stones and grass. Walking on such surfaces will be a kind of massage that contributes to the proper formation of the foot.
  3. For a student, the doctor recommends active exercises: jumping, walking on an inclined surface, a bear walk, walking on heels, a goose step.
  4. Do physical exercises and do simple exercises at home. Every morning the baby should begin with a charge. For the purpose of treatment and prevention, it is recommended to engage in.

Using these tips, it will be possible to teach the child to walk on a full foot and avoid further deviations.

What will happen if not treated?

The constant walking of a child on toes can negatively affect his posture.

If a child walks on tiptoes over the age of 7 years, finding out the reasons should be entrusted to a competent doctor. Most often they are associated with pathological processes.

The sad consequences of walking on tiptoe:

  • Clubfoot.
  • Flat feet.
  • Wrong posture.
  • Curvature of the legs.
  • Pain in the back and legs.
  • developmental delay.
  • Torticollis.

If the child constantly stands on the same toes, his heel will stop developing, its growth will slow down. The part of the foot on which he will walk will grow, from which it becomes disproportionate.

No matter how harmless the tiptoeing symptom may seem, the child must be shown to the doctor for examination and identification of the reasons for such a deviation.

I'm sure you always pay attention to a beautiful figure, a beautiful walk. Have you ever wondered what exactly provides our beautiful gait?

Central nervous system: cerebral cortex, extrapyramidal and pyramidal systems, brain stem, spinal cord, peripheral nerves, cerebellum, eyes, vestibular apparatus of the inner ear and of course the structures that all this controls - the skeleton, bones, joints, muscles. Healthy listed structures, correct posture, smooth and symmetrical movements ensure a normal gait.

Gait is formed from childhood. Congenital dislocations of the hip joints or joint can subsequently lead to limb shortening and gait disturbance. Hereditary, degenerative, infectious diseases of the nervous system, manifested by muscle pathology, impaired tone (hypertonicity, hypotonicity, dystonia), paresis, hyperkinesis will also lead to impaired gait - cerebral palsy, myopathies, myotonia, Friedreich's disease, Strümpel's disease, Huntington's chorea, poliomyelitis .

Properly selected shoes will influence the formation of the correct gait. With tight shoes, the child will tighten his toes, the formation of the arch of the foot will be disturbed, the joints may be deformed, as a result - arthrosis of the joints and gait disturbance. Flat feet, clubfoot impair gait. Improper prolonged sitting at the table will lead to curvature of the spine (scoliosis) and impaired gait.

With proper walking, the torso should lean back slightly. The back should be kept straight, the chest - straightened, buttocks tightened. With each step, the feet should be in line with the toes turned outward. Keep your head slightly elevated. Look straight ahead or slightly up.

Damage to the peripheral nerves - peroneal and tibial - will lead to impaired gait. “Stepage” - when walking, the foot “slaps”, because rear flexion (flexion) is impossible and the foot hangs down. When walking, a patient with a lesion of the peroneal nerve tries to raise his leg higher (so as not to cling to the floor with his fingers), the foot hangs down, when lowering the leg resting on the heel, the foot slaps on the floor. Another such gait is called "cock". The peroneal nerve is affected in compression-ischemic, traumatic, toxic neuropathies. Compression - this means that you have compressed a nerve and / or blood vessels and ischemia has developed - circulatory failure. This is possible, for example, with prolonged sitting: “squatting” - repair, garden; in small buses on long journeys. Sports activities, very sound sleep in an awkward position, tight bandages, plaster splints can cause circulatory disorders in the nerves.

Damage to the tibial nerve makes it impossible to plantar flex the foot and toes and turn the foot inwards. At the same time, the patient cannot stand on the heel, the arch of the foot deepens, a "horse" foot is formed.

Atactic gait- the patient walks with legs wide apart, deviating to the sides (more often towards the affected hemisphere), as if balancing on an unstable deck, the movements of the arms and legs are not coordinated. Turning the body is difficult. This is a "drunken walk". The appearance of an atactic gait may indicate a violation of the vestibular apparatus, a violation of blood circulation in the vertebro-basilar basin of the brain, and problems in the cerebellum. Vascular diseases, intoxications, brain tumors can be manifested by atactic gait and even frequent falls.

Antalgic gait- with radicular pain syndromes of osteochondrosis, the patient walks, curving the spine (scoliosis appears), reducing the load on the diseased spine and thereby the severity of pain. With pain in the joints, the patient spares them, adapting the gait to reduce the pain syndrome - lameness appears, and with coxarthrosis, a specific "duck" gait - the patient rolls from foot to foot like a duck.

With damage to the extrapyramidal systems, with Parkinsonism develops akinetic-rigid syndrome- movements are constrained, muscle tone is increased, concordance of movements is impaired, the patient walks, bending over, tilting his head forward, bending his arms at the elbow joints, taking small steps, slowly "shuffling" on the floor. It is difficult for the patient to start moving, "disperse" and stop. When stopped, it continues for some time an unstable movement forward or to the side.

When chorea develops hyperkinetic-hypotonic syndrome with violent movements in the muscles of the trunk and limbs and periods of muscle weakness (hypotension). The patient walks, as if with a "dancing" gait (Huntington's Chorea, St. Vitus's dance).

When the pyramidal system is damaged in various diseases of the nervous system, paresis and paralysis of the limbs. So, after a stroke with hemiparesis, a characteristic Wernicke-Mann posture is formed: the paralyzed arm is brought to the body, bent at the elbow joint and the wrist, the fingers are bent, the paralyzed leg is maximally extended at the hip, knee, and ankle joints. When walking, the impression of an "elongated" leg is created. The patient, in order not to touch the floor with his toe, describes a semicircle with his foot - such a gait is called "circumducting". In milder cases, the patient limps, in the affected limb the muscle tone is increased and therefore the flexion in the joints when walking occurs to a lesser extent.

Some diseases of the nervous system can develop lower paraparesis- Weakness in both legs. For example, with multiple sclerosis, myelopathy, polyneuropathy (diabetic, alcoholic), Strümpel's disease. With these diseases, gait is also disturbed.

heavy gait- with swelling of the legs, varicose veins, circulatory disorders in the legs - a person stomps heavily, raising his baking legs with difficulty.

Gait disturbances are always a symptom of some disease. Even a common cold and asthenia changes gait. A lack of vitamin B12 can cause numbness in the legs and disturb the gait.

Which doctor to contact for gait disorders

For any violation of gait, you need to consult a doctor - a neurologist, traumatologist, therapist, otolaryngologist, ophthalmologist, angiosurgeon. It is necessary to be examined and treated for the underlying disease that caused gait disturbance or to correct the lifestyle, the habit of sitting at the table “cross-legged”, to diversify a sedentary lifestyle with physical education, swimming, fitness classes, water aerobics, walks. Useful courses of multivitamins of group B, massage.

Consultation of a doctor on the topic of gait disorders:

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What measures do parents not take to wean their child from walking on tiptoe! Some strictly forbid the baby to rise on his toes, others begin to actively drive the baby to the doctors, take tests and look for the disease that is guilty of everything. And all this is because in this way of moving adults necessarily see some kind of “abnormality”.

With complaints that the child walks on tiptoes, parents also turn to the famous doctor Evgeny Komarovsky, who gladly explains what such a gait can mean and how parents should react to it.

Causes

Most often, tiptoeing is not a sign of any pathology, says Yevgeny Komarovsky. For children under the age of 2, episodic attempts to walk on tiptoes are an absolute norm, which should not worry mom and dad in any way.

Anatomically, this phenomenon can be explained by the fact that in children, even those who have not yet begun to walk at all, the calf muscle is quite developed. And when the baby gets up on its feet and tries to take the first independent steps, it is the tone in this calf region that can easily put the child on tiptoe. There is nothing to worry about, because as the rest of the muscles develop, the calves will be less muscular, and the foot will take the correct position when walking.

Quite often, parents themselves are to blame for the fact that the baby walks on tiptoes. This may be due to the fact that from a very early age, sometimes even before 6 months, they begin to use devices such as walkers. Dr. Komarovsky spoke about the dangers of these devices from the point of view of the load on the immature spine more than once.

There is another disadvantage in their use - the baby in the walker relies on socks. He does not always reach the floor, and then it is quite difficult for him to get used to the fact that you can lean on the foot in some other way. In such a situation, according to Yevgeny Komarovsky, the child then needs to be retrained, to instill in him a new useful habit of walking correctly.

However, not all 100% of children who walk on their toes have such harmless reasons for walking. There are situations when tiptoeing is a sign of one of the serious neurological disordersassociated with impaired muscle tone and pathologies of the central nervous system:

  • muscular dystonia;
  • pyramidal insufficiency.

But when a child has one of these diseases, walking on toes will obviously not be the only symptom. In addition, most likely, parents learn about the disease much earlier than the baby begins to walk. And therefore, if at 2-3 years old the child feels good, nothing hurts him, nothing bothers him, and the only thing that parents complain about is walking on toes, then there is no reason to worry, says Yevgeny Komarovsky.

Such a child does not need treatment, you can not torment him and not drive him to numerous doctor's offices.

Toddlers also have reasons for walking on their toes that are of a different nature - psychological. The peanut sees that he is being praised for the fact that he has grown up, that he is already big. Naturally, he wants to be even bigger and taller, and therefore he rises on his toes from time to time. Often such a gait is characteristic of children who are inquisitive, very mobile, hasty, impressionable, who are always in a hurry and running somewhere.

How to correct gait?

If the child has no pathologies, as well as neurological diagnoses, then the parents may face the question of how to correct the baby's gait. Evgeny Komarovsky claims that up to 3 years there is no need to do this purposefully. But some measures taken by parents will help the child quickly master the correct foot setting skills:

  • you can buy shoes for your child that will fix the leg well. She should have closed toes and a firm heel. Evgeny Komarovsky advises choosing models that have a small heel - this will additionally help in the prevention of flat feet. It is good if the shoes are tightly fastened with Velcro or laces, fixing the leg in one position. No special orthopedic shoes are required when walking on toes;
  • more time should be devoted to active walks in the fresh air, associated with walking, running, jumping. It’s great if the kid learns to ride a bike, because at the same time he will have to rely on his entire foot;
  • at home and in the yard (if the family lives in a private house), the child should walk barefoot more often;
  • with a pronounced habit of tiptoeing, you can do physiotherapy exercises, for this it is enough to contact your local pediatrician, who will give a referral to the exercise therapy room;
  • a child with the habit of walking on toes must definitely do a daily restorative massage. To massage the legs and feet, you should consult with a massage therapist to show the points for acupressure, which allows you to effectively relax the calf muscles and stimulate others.

About treatment

Unfortunately, the reality is, says Yevgeny Komarovsky, that a mother who goes to the local doctor with complaints that the child walks on tiptoes will most likely receive recommendations to start giving medication to her child. There is nothing wrong with the doctor prescribing vitamins and massage.

But often the child is prescribed not so harmless methods of treatment. So, nootropic drugs, vascular, sedatives can be recommended. Evgeny Komarovsky advises to avoid their use without an obvious reason, that is, the presence of a serious (often congenital) neurological disease. These medicines have a lot of side effects, and a healthy child who just doesn’t walk the way his mother wants, they are completely unnecessary.

For more information about this problem, see a short video by Dr. Komarovsky.