Toe Walking

Well, at first we thought the whole walking on toes thing was because just a few months prior, MJ had stepped off of the bed funny and broken his leg. Maybe while his leg was in a cast, he was stepping on his tip toe with the other foot to even things out, and then he just got used to doing it. Well, maybe. We know he did not start out walking on his toes when he first learned to walk.

We went to see a physical therapist and occupational therapist. The physical therapist tried to work with MJ on his balance and coordination and tried to get him to walk heel toe instead of toe only.

This didn't do much good. It was only by constant reminders that he would put his feet down, or if he knew you were watching his every move. It didn't matter much to me that he walked a little funny. So what. My only concern was that it would cause him problems later in life with extra pressure on his knees or calves, or maybe the tendons in his ankles would grow short. We took the PT's exercises home and eventually quit therapy when it was getting too expensive and our insurance changed.

We went to see an orthopedic specialist because the pediatrician kept telling us eventually we'd have to do surgery on MJ's heel chords to make them longer, and we thought we'd get a 2nd opinion.

The orthopedic specialist suggested an idea to cast both of his legs in a 90 degree angle to force the feet to be flat for a short time to give his ankles more flex. We thought this was less invasive, so we went ahead.

Here we were over the summer with MJ's 2 legs in walking casts. Let me tell you, that was a fun time! The furniture still shows wear and tear from this time.

Then when it was done, the casts off, and did it change anything?

Yes, his heels showed more flex and things measured better, but did it stop him from walking on his toes? Nope. It continued on.