Intoe gait - What to do?
For many parents, the gait of their child when he starts walking or running may appear as a concern if the child has intoeing (if he is « pigeon-toed » !)
Normaly, your child’s feet are supposed to point straight ahead, in the direction of progression when he walks or runs. Sometime, one or both feet can turned inward and lead him to trip and fall over .
There are 3 main causes which can explain an intoe gait :
A metatarsus adductus incurving the foot
A torsion inward affecting the tibia bone
A femoral anteversion affecting the thigh bone
One, two or all these reasons can lead to an intoe gait.
Intoe gait can often correct itself over time.
Up to 7 years old, it is important, if no treatment is undertake, to make sure that a specialist check and record the evolution of your child’s leg development.
If after 6 months of age, your child’s intoeing persists or if the deformity has not been corrected , a treatement such as a night brace or a serie of casts over a period of 3 to 6 weeks may be undertake by your pediatric orthopedist.
Most of time, no treatment is required. But, if intoeing is painful and swollen, your child is limping, or if after the age of 10 years old the disorder doesn’t improve then consider surgery to fix the deformity and correct the gait of your child.
