Toe walking
Written and reviewed by Dr Ibrahim Imam, Consultant Neurologist. Last reviewed .
Toe walking. This is the absence of the normal heel strike when walking. Fully referenced neurology checklist.
Definition
- This is the absence of the normal heel strike when walking
- The balls of the feet bear the weight on walking
- This produces a toe-toe gait pattern
- It may be physiological before the age of 2 years
Central causes
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Peripheral causes
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Classification of idiopathic toe walking (ITW)
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Clinical features of idiopathic toe walking (ITW)
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Assessments
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Treatment
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Synonyms
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References
- Sala DA, Shulman LH, Kennedy RF, Grant AD, Chu ML. Idiopathic toe-walking: a review. Dev Med Child Neurol 1999; 41:846-848.
- Oetgen ME, Peden S. Idiopathic toe walking. J Am Acad Orthop Surg 2012; 20:292-300.
- Babb A, Carlson WO. Idiopathic toe-walking. S D Med 2008; 61:53-57.
- Ruzbarsky JJ, Scher D, Dodwell E. Toe walking: causes, epidemiology, assessment, and treatment. Curr Opin Pediatr 2016; 28:40-46.
- Abu Libdeh A, Ibrahim A. Clinical reasoning: a 6-year-old girl with progressive toe walking. Neurology 2022; 98:e769-e773.
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