Still seeing your child on their toes? Toe walking, characterised by walking on the balls of the feet with little or no heel contact, is common in toddlers; however, when it persists beyond age 3, it can be confusing and worrying. You might notice scuffed shoes, tight calves, tripping, or wonder if it will impact your sports performance and growth. Parents also ask about autism and toe walking; persistent patterns simply mean an assessment is sensible.
We keep it simple: a calm assessment to check ankle range and gait, rule out red flags, and build a 6–8 week home plan with stretching, heel-to-toe cues and footwear tweaks so heels start contacting the ground. Most kids improve with a clear routine and short reviews.
Benefits of Our Toe Walking Care
- Kid-friendly assessment and clear, step-by-step advice.
- Stretching/strength plan for calves, Achilles and ankle mobility.
- Gait retraining with heel-to-toe cues to practise at home.
- Footwear fit tips (firm heel counter, roomy toe box) to support change.
- Review milestones so progress is easy to track.
What You Need to Know About Toe Walking
Who benefits most?
Kids walking on their toes beyond age 3; those with tight calves/Achilles tendons or reduced ankle motion; frequent tripping; toe or calf pain; forefoot shoe wear; or parental concern. Persistent patterns warrant assessment and, if necessary, a more comprehensive developmental review.
Toe walking treatment
Most cases of habitual toe walking improve with a simple home programme: daily calf and Achilles stretches, ankle mobility work, and short practice sessions of heel-to-toe walking. When needed, we may add tactile or visual cues, night splints, or a short period of casting, and we’ll organise referrals to paediatric physiotherapy or occupational therapy if indicated.
Footwear adjustments can reduce forefoot loading and help the heels make better contact with the ground. Our children’s podiatry team provides thorough footwear assessments and advice.
How it works
We assess ankle range, calf length, gait, and footwear, then create a 6–8 week plan with simple daily goals. Reviews adjust load and cues so that the change sticks. If toe walking is fixed or linked to another condition, we’ll outline the next steps and refer as needed.
We set clear milestones (comfortable heel-contact time, step count with heels down, and ankle range) and review them every 3–4 weeks, using 2–3 short practice blocks daily to ensure progress sticks.
Clinic preference
Appointments are arranged by calling our reception team directly, as home visits are not available through online booking. We provide visits within a 15km radius of our Highett and Mentone clinics. A small travel fee applies if the visit is more than 5km from the clinic.