Two Year Old Foot Turned In

First of all, there are several different causes for intoeing. Is it a curve of the foot, a twist in the tibia, or the femur, or a hip rotation? It would be most helpful to first have it diagnosed by an orthopedist. By observing the child's range of motion and with an x-ray, they can determine the cause and the extent. I would most certainly do this before trying any remedy. If the cause is a rotation of the hips or thigh, then attempting to twist the feet by wearing the wrong shoes would not be helpful...just irritating.

My son's right foot also turns in a little, and it was most noticeable when he would run. He is now 5 years old and it seems to be getting better slowly...even without treatment. I have had several opinions and they all say he will grow out of it. My right foot also turned in as a baby and I endured months of casts and years of shoes with braces. My son's orthopedist (Dr. Allan Delman, on 6th St. in San Pedro) said, "You probably think they helped, but most likely, you just outgrew it."

The literature repeatedly states that the vast majority of children will outgrow this between the ages of 8 and 10...without any physical repercussions. There is no added threat of arthritis or any disadvantage to balance, running or jumping. Of course, there will always be the extreme exception where surgery and/or casting/bracing will be necessary. But my guess is that your doctors are well trained to spot such instances and are probably correct in suggesting that your daughter's is a mild case, and she will grow out of it. You can read a little more about it here:

http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/children/par...

I know this parenting stuff is filled with tons of pressure to make the right decision...and it's hard to do nothing...but try not to worry. Just remember, a treatment regimen that involves nothing more than you watching her grow up normally, is a wonderful thing. Best wishes.

My son has this problem as well. I went to a childrens orthapedic doctor and he told me all was well. That many children have this and in time it will go away. He said that corrective shoes are not necessary and that braces are old practice. Eventually the foot will resolve if by age 8 it does not then they consider surgery, but they will not do anything until that time. If surgery is necessary he said that the surgery is almost always successful. I would not worry.

I am a pediatrician (and mother of 2) and my father is an orthopedist so let me assure you of two things....if you only notice it when she is running and she's not tripping over her feet it will not be a problem and will most likely correct by age 7. Secondly...corrective shoes do not work as this is not a "foot" problem but more likely due to rotation of her tibia (one of the bones of the lower leg) at the knee or rotation of the leg at the thigh. The only way to really "fix it" at this stage would be to go through surgery! As I said it will correct itself usually by age 7. Hope this helps relieve some anxiety!

Yes, many generations of my family has had slight turning in of our feet and the docs didn't seem to think it was anything to worry about, they said the feet would correct themselves and never did. So . . .our mothers and now myself . . put their shoes on backwards! Whenever you're in the house or even playing outside, put the shoes on backwards (try it on yourself, you'll see how it works) after a while the kids will get used to it and it will fix the problem.

I actually did that as an older teen/adult as a dancer, ballerina, I had a horrible turnout, so I did the backwards shoe thing and it improved my form significantly!

Now I do the same with my own daughter (future ballerina)

Hi Kristen!
My 2 1/2 year old has pigeon feet, they both turn in but they have improved so much, he doesn't fall all over himself anymore.
I was at the park one day and another mom approached me that had noticed my boy's feet and he was tripping a lot and it was so obvious. Her advice was this and I will pass it on to you:
Buy some toddler roller skates and help her roll around on them for 20 minutes a day (simply hold her hands). What it does is helps develop those muscles that aren't as strong as they should be and help you walk straight. When you are on wheels you have no choice but to straighten your feet or you won't roll anywhere. It totally works and they love to do it! I guess they do this at the Children’s Hospital in Mission Viejo.
I mentioned this to my pediatrician (Dr. Bob Sears) and he thinks its a great idea and supports it fully.
I must admit I do not do this daily like I should but we do this weekly and just that has helped a lot, I can only imagine if we did do it every day for 20 minutes.
You can find the adjustable toddler skates at Target or WalMart, anywhere really. They are inexpensive and adjust as their little feet grow.
Good Luck! :)
J. B.

I am going through this right now. We noticed our son had slightly bow-leg anckles that made his feet turn in a little when he was 1. I took him to the best specialests I could find (Johns Hopkins) They said he would out grow it. They said he might even have feet that turn out a little. He is now three and I still see it. We are taking him to a doc here in CA as soon as our new insurance kicks in. Good luck, keep us posted!

I watched a little girl that was very pidgin-toed. The physical therapist said it was not her feet, it was her hips. The biggest issue with this child was that she'd sit in a W, which is very bad for your hips. So, watch your daughter and don't let her sit in a W, make her cross her legs and sit Indian Style (criss-cross applesauce). Hope this helps.
N.

It wouldn't hurt to get a referral to a pediatric foot specialist.

i would highly recommend taking her to a chiropractor - research it well, there are a lot of quacks out there. maybe search for a pediatric chiro ? she might just need her nervous system balanced out with some accupressure. it is good you want to address this now because it could cause her structural problems down the road. good on you, mom =)

I have an adult friend who suffered a major lower leg injury about 5 years ago due to the muscles in her lower legs not being flexible enough during a casual horse riding excursion. She had pigeon toe as a toddler and her parents didn't address the problem well enough. A few years ago she had to undergo surgery to have the muscles affected removed and cannot turn her feet in or out nearly as well as she should be able to. The surgeon said the injury was most directly related to her pigeon toe and could have been avoided with the proper therapy as a child to increase her muscle and tendon flexibility.
My daughter was born with clubbed feet which means both feet were turned completely in and upside down like little pitching wedge golf clubs. My husband and I are very dedicated to giving her the best start and are diligent with her therapy. She wore corrective casts for 3 months starting at 5 days old, had a very minor surgery to lengthen her achilles tendons, wore corrective shoes with a brace for 11 months 23 hours a day and now only wears it at night while she sleeps. I have to say she's been a trooper and it's not easy to make her wear the shoes at night as they are quite uncomfortable. She has to sleep with a metal bar attached to her shoes keeping her feet turned completely out and shoulder width apart.
I don't know that your daughter would have to go through anything so intense but I would suggest you make an appointment with a pediatric orthopedic surgeon to at least get a consultation. I have heard many kids outgrow pigeon toe by getting involved in ballet and gymnastics. Hopefully your daughters pigeon toe can be helped by something as fun and simple as that. Good luck!

I would ask my pediatrician for a referral for a physical therapy evaluation. Sometimes a foot turning in can mean an issue with the hip rather than the foot. It wouldn't hurt to make sure everything is really ok and a therapist can also recommend supportive shoes if necessary. Usually it's a strongly supportive jogger or high top. Good luck and I wouldn't wait too long to ask for that referral if I were you.

I am a "pigeon-toed" adult who wore corrective shoes consistently as a child. My point is they didn't work for me. I would say that the most important thing to do is to make sure that your daughter has a positive sense of self and is not made to feel inferior for her turned-in foot. Also, if it doesn't correct itself in a year or so, I would give gentle reminders to turn her foot out and examples of how to do it. If this is done consistently, she will eventually re-teach herself how to walk with her foot straight. As an adult, it is much more difficult for me to re-learn because I've been living with my walk for 37 years. It should be much easier for a toddler. God Bless, G.

My son's foot was bad enough that the pediatrician gave us a referral to a specialist. I was a little worried since I knew I had braces on my legs when I was young. The specialist explained that it was a result of how his legs were in the womb. He showed a graphic of 3 pictures of the 3 different ways they typically have their legs crossed, and with such soft bone when they're little, their feet get a little stuck that way. It looks worse when they have shoes on because of the way the shoes naturally bend as well. He also showed me a chart that showed how it corrects itself over time - I think by age 3 or 5 or something, it's usually all straightened out. My son started walking at 15 1/2 months. He's 28 months now and you can't even detect it anymore. So it is pretty common. And the doctor wasn't concerned at first either, until we were leaving - she saw him walking with his little boots on and it looked so much more dramatic. If you want complete reassurance, just ask for the referral to be safe??

Good morning Kristen,

My advice is to get a new pediatrician. Or at least get a second opinion. Try finding a pediatric podiatrist. This advice is coming from a person who wore corrective shoes until I was in junior high school. Much better to adjust a small problem now as opposed to the humiliation of wearing corrective devices as a teenager. Teenagers have enough to deal with already. By the way, the problem may not really be her foot/ankle. It could be in her knee or her hip. Watch it, and if it continues to get worse, them I would REALLY start making some noise with the doctors. Good Luck.

M.

Yes, I am going through it right now. After taking my son to a specialist referred by his pediatrician I was told he wished he could have started when he was 1 year old. It isn't the foot but the hip, a little more wiggle room than others. I was told to save my money on the corrective shoes and before I left the office to swap his shoes. He now has them on backward at all times. He was suppossed to sleep in them but I could not do that. Wearing his shoes on the wrong feet will train his hip and straighten his feet.

Try teaching her to rollerskate. You cannot go if both feet do not face forward. It might work. It helped my sister when she was younger

my ten year old daughters left leg was turned in as well. i thru alot of visits to the pediatrician and orthepedic doctors for it. i kept getting told it would straighten out on its own. i was skeptical. it is almost perfectly straight. the only time i notice it turning in now is when she is really tired. we did no corrective shoes or braces or anything. it will usually straighten out on its own.

It's usually a weak psoas, so strengthening the psoas muscles will help that and allow her hips to function better as an adult.

My son has physical therapy for a neck problem so we are at the pt office once a week. There is a little girl there with feet turned in and her therapist actually puts her shoes on the wrong feet. She said it causes the turned in foot to straiten out because it is uncomfortable. You might try putting 2 different shoes on her...the correct shoe on the good foot and the wrong shoe on the bad foot.

Hi Kristen,
Definitely go to www.icpa4kids.org and find a pediatric chiropractor in your area to have your child evaluated by. This should be your first step!! I would advise against going the podiatrist or surgeon route as these doctors may advise of a more invasive procedure. Many times gentle chiropractic adjustments can correct this imbalance you are noticing. If the chiropractic doctor evaluates your child and discovers another problem, he or she will let you know who the appropriate professional would be to help out.
In health,
C. Tanaka, DC
www.naturallifechiro.com

Know were you are coming from. My oldest son (now 12) his right foot was turned in when he ran he would fall over his own feet...Took him to a foot docter , he ended up wearing night braces on his feet for about nine months.Now his one foot is just slightly turned,he lives a very active life and no longer falls over his own feet....

My oldest daughter who is 33 now had her left foot turn in and was always tripping over it and getting hurt. I took her to 2 foot drs and they both put her in corrective shoes and one dr put her in a brace that attached to her shoes and she had to sleep like that at night. After having numerous crying spells from my daughter, I went to see a very wise neighbor of my in-laws (who was a homeopathic chiropractor) he massaged her hip and also told me to put her shoes on the wrong feet. It looks strange but after about 6 months it corrected itself and turned out the way it was suppose too. Let me warn you though parents come up to you and tell you she has her shoes on the wrong feet.

Hi, my name is L.. When my son was one and a half, I noticed that his left foot was slightly turned in and when he ran or walked fast it would cause him to fall. When I took him to his peditrician he suggested a foot and bone doctor. So I took him and for he prescribed a cradle brace that was to be put on his feet while he slept at nights, he worn them for 6 months. He cried for the first few weeks but soon got use to wearing them. Today at the age of 32 he has 2 straight legs. I would get a second oppinion on your childs foot, it could lead to problems as he gets older.
L. of California

My mom took care of it herself, she just switched my shoes. I am fine! Just a thought, though! You may want to consult with another pediatrician to get a second opinion. Good Luck!

I would press the situation with a podiatrist not the pediatrician. My step son has foot issues that no one noticed that now give him trouble. His ankles turn in slightly because he didn't walk properly as he was learning. Had he had corrective shoes even just at night he would not have this issue. Go the distance and trust your instincts.

You can switch the shoes around, left shoe on right foot & vice versa, my brother has a very serious case of both feet, & believe it or not it works slowly but slightly

Try letting her wear her shoes on the opposite foot. I had a similar issue and someone else suggested this and it seem to help.

I had this propblem myself as a kid/toddler but both of my feet turned in. I wore the special shoes but learned quickly how to take them off. My mother was concerned too. She talked to the doctor and he told my mom to put me in roller skates. It worked! You would never now that I was pigeon toed at all. Hope this helps. By the way, I'm 35 and I don't remember any of this. I just remember my mom telling me the stories and roller skating around and loving it.

Hi Kristen. It's probably nothing to be concerned about as some children do have intoeing, but if you are still uncertain, have your child checked out by a pediatric orthopedist or pediatric physical therapist. There are a number of reasons why a child could be intoeing, so please don't just try putting their shoes on the wrong feet to correct, because that may not be the problem. Once your child is evaluated, a proper course of treatment can be determined (I am a pediatric physical therapist and I would hate for your child to end up w/sore feet, especially if it is not the reason for the intoeing). Good luck and depending on your area, I might be able to refer you to a few good pediatric orthopedists.

You are the mom so if you have a feeling that it is a problem it may be, but I walk with my left foot turned in a bit and the only problem I have is that I always scuff up my left shoe!

Mother of 4. My daughter had issues, sounds like they were worse. Doctor suggested braces, my mom suggested massage. I massaged her legs and feet in the opposite direction as much as possible. I also put her shoes on the opposite feet. It took a few months but the Doctor was amazed how easily they were fixed. At her young age her bones are still plyable. Good luck

Hi Kirsten, I have 2 suggestions: 1) I had the same problem as your daughter - I wore corrective shoes till I was 11 and have run several marathons as an adult - I have better feet and legs than everyone I grew up with, so definitely see a pediatric specialist. 2) I agree with the chiropractic suggestions - find a good one for children - if you are in the Glendale/ La Canada area, I recommend Dr Dale Ellwein on Verdugo across from La Cabinita 818-248-WELL. Good luck - I'm sure its correctible without surgery. P.s - my husband had the same problem; his parents did nothing and he has a hard time walking for long periods of time.

Hey Kristen,

My son was pigeon toed and has flat arches and what helped was those white shoes with the steel fronts and high ankle leather sides!! They are pretty old fashion but they really helped him!! Just make sure he doesn't kick anybody!! Good luck

V.

I have identical triplet boys who are know 3 1/2 yrs old. They all had the same thing, one foot that was turned in especially when they run. I didnt notice it much but was a bit concerned. The pediatricians told me that they will grow out of it probably by the time they are 5 yrs old. They will be 4 in Aug and I notice that their one foot has straigtened out. So I would just keep an eye on it and watch it. If it doesnt get better maybe get another opinion. Hope this helps a little.

I have not personally experienced this, but having worked in a podiatry office, I've seen childen come in w/ what you describe. I think one of the things to keep in mind is that it may not necessarily be just her foot that's the problem but rather whatever structural (bone) problems exist above the foot. So corrective shoes might help, but they may not solve the problem. Does she trip when she runs or walks? A good podiatrist who treats children can evaluate where the problem is stemming from and advise on a course of treatment. Good luck to you!

My son has this problem with both feet (since birth), and we had him in specially made braces, then reverse last shoes. His feet are still really turned in, and his ortho dr. referred us to Shriners Hospital in Sacramento. They specialized in this type of thing, and the doctors there told us NOT to use the braces or the shoes anymore (almost made it sound like it was almost abusive!) and that he would outgrow it. He is 2 now, and we just took him there again for a yearly checkup, and they said the same thing again. Hpe this helps! BTW, he is crazy active, and does just fine running and playing, and compensates for his crooked feet so that he manages.

My son is 29 months old and has the same thing. We have also spoke to our doctor and got the same response. We were told that if it dose not turn in enough then the braces would do no good. It causes him to run slower than ours his age. My 4 and a half year olds foot also turns a little bit but it doses not causes any problems. We are now playing the waiting game with our son to see if we needed to puss the issuse. Please let me know if you get any other information on this.

When my daughter was little both of her feet where turned in and my doctor recommened corrective shoes and it worked. Ask your doctor to refer you to an orthopedic doctor just to take a look.

You can ask for a referral to a podiatrist. If it's something you feel strongly about, your pediatrician should give you the referal so that it's covered by your insurance. One of my kids ended up needing inserts. He's now 11 and has his inserts that are orthodics molded for his foot to keep his foot at the proper "angle" while he is walking.

Marie-anne :O)

My s-daughter has a family issue on her mom's side that they are born with (a lot of them anyway) an inverted pelvis so one leg & therefore, foot is inverted. My husband and her mom were told they could easily correct it by breaking her hip (the younger the better) and she would've been fine. They chose not to....she has the inverted foot because of it. To her, it is just like her mom - but she plays soccer and wants to play other sports too, and she just doesn't seem to be able to get the speed and coordination together. I would've done the breaking. Just me. I would check with another pediatrician if I were you - because she is at the right age to do something to correct it for the long haul. She will be thankful later for your efforts now. Good luck and God Bless You!

Hi Kristen,

Try having her wear her shoes backwards(opposite). I remember my brother doing this when he was little (Dr. recommended). He is still a little pigeon toed but not as bad as when he was little.

Good Luck!
A.

My Granddaughter has the same problem and my step Daughter took her to a pediatric orthopedic and he told her she might grow out of it.ut I told her to get a second opinion

I had a child in day care who had to use a brace- I would avoid that if I can. But take her to a pediatrist or an orthopedic doctor- pediatricians don't know everything!

Kristen,
My grandson had the same problem. We were all worried about it, but the pediatrician said it would straighten out some on its own. Sometimes it was so bad that when he ran too fast he tripped himself. They x-rayed it, and his hip, etc was fine. He is now 9 years old and is a very fast runner. They say that pigeoned toed people make better runners. His father is a long distance runner, and has set records in high school and college. After the x-rays and such, I relaxed. Now I am so glad that my daughter didn't listen to all the people that thought he was going to have problems forever. Have it checked out by the pediatrician, but you will probably get the same advice as my daughter did. Just be prepared to tell well meaning relatives and friends that she is perfect the way she is and her body will make the necessary changes as she grows.

Hope this helps.

E.:)

I wouldn't leave it alone. My son had no foot arch which made him knock kneed.I took him to a PT n she told me that left alone would cause problems and it was good that I saw it early enough.Catching it early will help cuz kids bones are soft enough.So he has insoles for his shoes that has a high arch support.You can't even tell he has them,I have noticed adifference,his knees don't touch n he looks comfortable running.I hope this was helpful Good Luck

My twin sister and I had a problem with both our feet turning slightly inward when we walked in grade school. My mother had us switch our shoes around (shoes on the wrong feet) and it corrected the problem. Now we both walk regular. I don't remember how long we had to do this for but it worked. Good luck.

Your daughter is probably pidgeon-toed (old and unmedical name for it). My oldest daughter (now 21) would actually trip over one foot because it turned in so badly. We got those high-top tennis shoes to strengthen her ankles and her problem went away when she got a little older.

The best thing you can do is put her in a pair of roller
blades. Or roller skates. You can't roller blade pigon toe. Your feet have to stay straight.
That is what a poditricist told me years ago.

Hi Kristen!
This runs in my family...... And its funny that my sister who has this issue is also named Kristen. My dad opted not to take care of it when my sister was little. My sister hates this. When she was young... about 27 years ago, the doctor wanted to break her leg and reset it. Im not sure what the procedure is now... but my dad said no way...
anyways.. long story short, from my sisters experience, take care of this when she is young and can heal fast. Ofcourse do your research... but it will be much easier now.
And through her teen years, it did get worse...

Good luck!

I'm knock-kneed and pigeon toed, so I'm sort of hyper-aware of these things in my child. I noticed that my five year old was turning his left foot in about a year and a half ago. It's becoming more pronounced as he gets older.
I pointed it out to the pediatrician last year, and he had him do some walking tests in the office. He agreed that my son is intoeing on the left foot, but said there was nothing to worry about as long as he was not tripping himself when he walked, or otherwise interfering with his day to day activities.
I have bad knees now because of my feet, and I asked if there was anything we could do to prevent this for my son. The pediatrician said most pediatric orthopedic doctors do not use corrective braces or shoes anymore because they have discovered these do not make a long term difference in the child. People who wore them as children, tend to revert to being pigeon toed when they grow up. He told me he would not even write me a recommendation for a consultation with the ortho until my son starts having pain or mobility problems.
I know this probably does not answer your question, but I hope it at least assures you that there are other people with your same concern.

My son is 2yr. 8 mo. and his left foot turns in when he runs too. The pediatrician also said she's not concerned at this point (we noticed it at 1yr... that most children's feet correct themselves naturally by year 4. At that point if it hasn't corrected itself... then we consider the options.

I'm watching and if it gets worse or doesn't improve in the next year I will probably look into it more online and try to be more proactive.

I think you're doing the right thing by asking questions and being aware!

-P.

Both of my boys had the same issue with the foot being turned in. What really worked was putting on their shoes backwards, right shoe on left foot, and left shoe on right foot. It took about a few months, but all is well now.