pigeon toes

[swiperfox]

DD is 3.3 and is slightly pigeon toed. I've never really noticed it before - i did when she was newly walking but i thought it had corrected itself. POroblem is now that she is running everywhere she is constantly falling over and I assume its because she's tripping over her own feet. I mentioned it to a friend and she said the doctor just told her to ignore it and it would go away - does that sound right?

[starlover]

yep... a lot of children have this... i read about it somewhere, but can't remember where.
Apparently they won't consider it a problem unless the child has reached the age of 5 (i think) and is still like it.
I think it's something to do with the way the hips develop

[nnosam]

sorry to be dim, but whats pigeon toes?

[Pinotmum]

My dd is pidgeon toed and used to do as your dd -constantly tripping over her own feet when she ran anywhere. Her nursery teacher even commented on it in her end of year report . She is 4.6 yo now and hardly trips at all. In act she is a really fast runner now. I, like you, was concerned until I that the feet should right themselves by 6 yo.

[Pinotmum]

.. until I READ that the feet should right themselves by 6 yo. Must preview

[LIZS]

dd has this and it is most noticeable when she wears wellies or other less fitted shoes. She has very nbarrow feet too which may not help but her balance is fine. Was told by a paediatrican that unless it is obviously a problem from the hip or is very pronounced, it would right itself. She's 3 1/2 and it doesn't seem to be improving but I'm rather loathe to go back and be dismissed again.

[swiperfox]

nnosam - it's when their feet turn in instead of pointing straight ahead - kind of the way pigeons walk!!

I'm quite surprised to see that it gets left so late. When dd was first learning to walk I read about it somewhere and it said that it should have corrected itself by the age of two and if it hasn't by then, then you would have to ge and see about getting blocks put on their shoes or something!?! Thats why I was beginning to worry - thought i'd left it too late! Oh well - it's a relief to know that she's still got time to grow out of it - although heaven knows how scarred her poor little knees will be by then!!!

[milliways]

I had a fairly majo operation at age 7 to correct Inward Rotating femurs which started out as pidgeon toes. I was therefore v,concerned when my DD seemed to be going the same way. The doctor showed me how flexible their ankles are - they flop around mid air leading to toes pointing in, tripping etc. For me it was impossible to turn my feet out, by age 5 i was knock-kneed & by age 7 my feet were almost 90 degrees off central. It was v. obvious however from age 2.5 that this was a severe problem stemming from the hips not the ankles. Go to your GP for reassurance.

[docincognito]

walking with toes pointing inwards is prety common- around 15% of girls have it to a greater or lesser degree. It's usually caused by excess inward rotation at the hip, but a few are caused by inward rotation below the knee, or a problem with the feet. The majority correct themselves by around the age of 7 or 8, but even those that don't correct fully learn to live with it, and stop falling. Surgery such as milliways had is VERY rare (around 1 in 1000)and usually left till teenage years, even if it is necessary, as the resulting scars are pretty unsightly, and the patient needs to be able to decide for herself that it's what she wants.

Shoe adaptations/ insoles make NO difference at all- you'd have to be wearing your shoes (and weightbearing in them)for 24 hours a day, to have any effect on growth.

Interestingly, it has been found that a degree of internal rotation gives you a mechanical advantage when running- most sprinters have it,so that's probably why pinotmum's dd is a good runner.

[Pinotmum]

Docincognito, thnks, your post is v. informative.

[milliways]

Yes, Thanks Doc.
I wasn't trying to worry anyone with my story - only agreeing that I know how worrying it can be if your child is like that & how reassuring the GP was. That this is ususally NOT a prob at all.(I could not physically put my feet straight, let alone turn them out!) Can also confirm that inserts in shoes are useless - I tried these & just got blisters!

[swiperfox]

Thank you very much for that info ... it has put my mind to rest a little now!! I'm trying really hard not to stop her running as I'm forever telling her to slow down or be careful because I know she's going to trip, bless her!

[justamom]

i am 28 a pigeon toed, been picked on a bunch, because when i get tired it gets worse...., my poor dd, well she is 8 and still trying not to trip over herself...it's a chick "thing" i tell her..., that way she doesn't feel funny...she is also a blonde... LOL LOL,