Heels Down… Even When Jumping Forward? | Toe Walking Pediatric PT #41

🎯 Jumping Forward with Heel Control for Toe Walking 🎯🦶🏾 Pediatric Physical Therapy | Mykael #41 👋🏾 Meet Mykael Mykael is an 8-year-old child with persistent toe walking. His toe walking increases when he is tired, anxious, sick, or emotionally dysregulated. He walks more on his toes when barefoot or in less supportive shoes, and less when wearing supportive athletic shoes 👟🦶🏽. Toe walking runs in Mykael’s family — his grandfather and uncle are also toe walkers. Hinged plantarflexion-stop orthotics had been recommended by his therapist; at this visit, his family shared that he has not been wearing them. 🦶🏾 What We’re Working On In this session, we focus on jumping forward while keeping the heels down on landing — a skill that is often difficult for children who toe walk. The goal is not just to jump, but to land with control: heels staying down shins moving forward over the feet controlled ankle activation balance after landing As the distance increases, maintaining heel contact becomes much harder, which is why this activity is so effective. 🟦 The Setup Carpet squares are placed on the floor at progressively increasing distances: starting at about 1 foot apart gradually increasing up to approximately 3½ feet (about 40 inches) Mykael jumps forward from square to square with one clear rule: 🫵🏾 If his heels come up on landing, he goes back and repeats the jump. Each distance is practiced multiple times before progressing. 👀 What You’ll See As the distance increases, you may notice: greater demand on ankle control brief heel lift when effort increases subtle shaking as muscles stabilize improved control with repetition The longest jump requires significant forward shin movement and precise control to keep the heels down. 🧠 Why This Matters for Toe Walking Many children who toe walk can jump easily, but controlling the landing with heels down is a different skill. Forward jumping over increasing distances: challenges ankle strength and coordination exposes toe-first landing patterns encourages functional heel contact supports carryover to walking and running 🏡 Ideas for Home Practice You can try this at home using: tape marks on the floor sidewalk cracks floor tiles paper plates or small rugs Start close together and gradually increase the distance, focusing on controlled landings with heels down. 🕒 Timestamps (Chapters) 0:00 – Intro to Amy and Mykael 0:18 – Overview of the jumping task 0:29 – First short-distance jump 0:57 – Heel lift noted and repeat attempt 1:10 – Increased distance and control 1:42 – Longest jump challenge 2:06 – Successful controlled landing 2:24 – Why this works for toe walking 2:48 – Wrap-up 🦶🏾 Toe Walking Video Series (Mykael) This video is part of an ongoing pediatric physical therapy series addressing toe walking through: balance strength motor control functional movement 🔗 Watch the full Mykael toe walking series here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAkJbMrHyKjP470frDXaGDv2XrtEqPEUx 📚 Books by Amy Sturkey Children’s Educational Books: “A is for Autism” → https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071F4FFTB “D is for Down Syndrome” → https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079P8HH49 “C is for Cerebral Palsy” → https://www.amazon.com/dp/B088TSJCYP “A is for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder” → https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08QH9H5HR “A is for Anxiety” → https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09LXQ3W6V “P is for Poop and Pee Accidents” → https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BLSRJ483 Professional Pediatric Physical Therapy Books: “Pediatric Physical Therapy Strengthening Exercises for the Hips” → https://www.amazon.com/dp/0998156736 “Pediatric Physical Therapy Strengthening Exercises for the Knees” → https://www.amazon.com/dp/0998156760 “Pediatric Physical Therapy Strengthening Exercises for the Ankles” → https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08TX2ZCFD 🌍 Captions & Translations Subtitles are available and can be auto-translated into many languages 🌍👧🏽👦🏿👩🏾‍🦱👨🏽‍🦱