Youth sports are a big part of the Surprise community. From basketball to soccer we have it all! An out-toeing issue could create a problem for children when it comes to participating in sports. They may experience pain or the inability to walk or run without trouble. We want to help you practice good children’s foot care so that they don’t have to miss out on these experiences.
There are different reasons an abnormal gait might occur. Young children have no arches in their feet, and while they are developing the arches they might begin to walk in a different way. Out-toeing due to flatfeet is very normal and will usually go away once the arches fully develop. Usually there is no pain associated with this so treatment isn’t required. Adolescents may experience out-toeing due to external tibial torsion. This sounds scary, but it simply means that the leg bone has twisted. It’s usually the cause of genetics, so if you had an abnormal gait as a child, your children will probably have the same issues.
Unfortunately, out-toeing is not correctable by using braces, physical therapy, and chiropractic manipulation. The best thing to do is to wait and protect their feet by providing good footwear. As time goes by you can track their progress by taking video recordings of them walking. If you notice that there has been no change in their gait you might consider surgery. An osteotomy is a procedure where the bone is cut and repositioned in the correct way. It’s used only in very rare and serious cases. If walking doesn’t improve you may also wish to have further tests performed to make sure everything else is developing the way it should.
For more questions about gait abnormalities call Dr. Peyman Elison at (623) 584-5556 to schedule an appointment. At Fixing Feet Institute in Surprise, AZ we know that the health of your children is more important to you than anything and we are here to help.
Photo credit: Photonut via RGB-stock
