Is Idiopathic Toe Walking Really Idiopathic? The Motor Skills and Sensory Processing Abilities Associated With Idiopathic Toe Walking Gait

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate any differences between the motor skills and sensory processing abilities of children between the ages of 4 and 8, who do and do not have an idiopathic toe walking gait. Children in each cohort were tested with a number of norm referenced assessments. A total of 60 children participated, 30 within each cohort. Those with an idiopathic toe walking gait were found to have different Sensory Profile quadrant scores ( P = .002), poorer performance on the Bruininks–Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency ( P ≤ .001), a lower vibration perception threshold ( P = .001), and poorer performance on the Standing Walking Balance subtest of the Sensory Integration and Praxis Test ( P = .047), compared with non–toe walking peers. Although this research does not give a causative factor for toe walking gait, it provides a number of theories as to why this gait may not be idiopathic in nature.