Have you ever seen a kid walk on his toes? There are a lot of people who wonder about toe walking and are curious about what’s really going on. Is it normal? Is it a sign of something? Why does it happen? What’s causing kids to walk on their toes?
Seeing it manifest in the way kids walk, many are quick to think that it has something to do with a child’s feet or ankles. They are told to stretch ankles and joints to make sure that the feet are moving properly, and while that makes a lot of sense, did you ever think it could be a brain issue too?
Our brain controls all our seven senses, not just five.
The brain is the command center for everything else in our body. It controls all our organs, extremities, and senses – including those for balance and motion.
When talking about all the seven senses together, you will see that the way that the brain takes information isn’t isolated as just a physiological process anymore. It becomes a very physical process too, kind of a twofold.
It works with many other organs, including your brain stem and spine, in keeping your body moving. A little stress on these and all the nerves surrounding it may cause certain actions that we see in children, like toe walking.
The human body is physically intuitive and it will do what is needed to relieve tension.
When there’s cord tension from the bottom of the brain down to where it is actually attached to the bones (in your sacrum), your body will do what it takes to take tension off, especially during emotionally heighten or neurologically stimulating activities. The physiological response will get you standing on your little tippy-toes.
It is a physiological process that’s going on within the body and makes use of that intuition.
Children who become toe walkers often have absolutely normal range of motion in their feet and ankles. It doesn’t always mean there’s no point in getting those bones and muscles checked by professionals, but it also doesn’t mean you should ignore the physiological reason behind it either.
You need to look at the core cause and the physiological process that’s going on.
Toe walking is a physiological response to tension and stress that a child may be experiencing.
Whenever you see a child up on their toes, it is safe to assume that it is a response to some other stress they have going on in their lives.
Maybe they’re feeling anxious when they walk into a room, in the presence of someone they don’t know, or during times they feel very excited. They get up on their toes when they are in situations that feel more stressful to them and they are often the ones who are more anxious, excited, and full of energy.
We need to make sure that the brain is getting all the information it needs physically and physiologically.
In the long run, when you do not attend to these signals of cord tension, your little toe walkers’ senses will be altered. Contrary to what people say, they will not outgrow it.
Your body will start to live with the cord tension, your senses get altered into thinking that the tension is normal, and you will stay up on your toes, amongst other physiological tension. That’s not something anybody wants to live with.
Have your child evaluated and find a pediatric chiropractic care provider in your area to address all health-related concerns, as it can be a sensory issue, it can be behavioral, but most of the time, it is because of the tension. Take the time to know more about your child, their senses, what goes on in the body, and why they get neurologically stressed, so you can help change the world, for those who mean the world to you.
