8 year old toe walking

[elliejjtiny]

My 8 year old has hypermobility and moderate learning difficulties. He is always falling over and keeps wearing out his shoes at the front. He wears insoles in his shoes but a couple of months ago the clumsiness seemed to be getting worse and he started walking on his toes a lot more than he did before. He has always walked with his heel slightly raised but it keeps getting worse and now it's like he's wearing invisible high heels. We've got an appointment with orthotics but it's not for another 2 weeks. Every time I look at his walking it seems worse than before and I'm getting really worried (and trying not to google.

Is her anxious about anything do you think?
Is he very sensory? Is he able to put his heel down with out any pain or tightness?
My 14 year old has asd and moderate learning difficulties he also tip toes walks ( was casted at age 4 but did nothing to help).

What about a physiotherapist or an OT?
Toe walking can put a strain on the foot, however if you are seeing someone soon two weeks won’t make a huge difference. However the advice is often to just ‘wait and see if they grow out of it’ - but google some more as I’m sure there is some advice about doing stretching exercises to help the tightness in the foot that is created.

Does he walk better bare foot?

Is there grass around in the garden he could walk on better without so much fear of falling?

What about his core strength? Get him evaluated, overall strength can help coordination and hypermobility - get a good OT.

We were in a similar position with my son at that age - family said he would grow out of it but I booked a physio assessment. They diagnosed hypermobility instantly and we did a weekly programme with calf stretches which did make a difference.
We also went to a podiatrist for advice about shoes. His walking and gait definitely improved after seeing the podiatrist every three months.

He is now 12 and has bespoke orthotics that he actually wants to wear because they are so comfortable and help him to get his heel down. They are hidden in his shoes so no-one at secondary school is any the wiser!

Hopefully your appointment gets you the answers you need.
My niece walks on tipee toes but has other behaviours as well and it turned out she is autistic. Toe walking was her way of reducing contact as she has sensory issues. So it's likely physical but could also be neuro divergence.

Does he like to spin around at all? Toe walking can be a sign of autism as can hypermobility. My ds toe walked for years & after his autism diagnosis he was referred to an OT who observed him & diagnosed Hypotonia, we were referred to a consultant who confirmed the diagnosis.

I can't remember the specifics but seem to remember a family remember walking on tip toes a lot. Parents found out in his teens that one leg was longer than the other and it was his way of correcting the difference - it's harder to spot when heel is raised (unless specifically looking) that both aren't lifted off the same amount.

Thankyou. He doesn't seem to be in pain with it and he is definitely not autistic (I have 3 dc who have autism). He walks better in shoes than he does with bare feet.

I'll ask about physio and OT. He used to have both when he was little but the physio discharged him aged 3 when he started walking and the OT discharged him aged 5.

I know two teens that do this so I would seek advice from a physio sooner rather than later.

I used to toe walk. I needed physio. No issues now.

Can he actually get his feet flat on the ground whilst standing straight? If his hamstrings have shrunk too much then exercises may not be the answer.

DS has been in casts to lengthen his. His consultant said no amount of exercises would lengthen them enough to walk flat footed.

See if you can get an paediatric orthopaedic referral.