An exploration of the lower limb characteristics of children with an idiopathic toe walking gait, and how these characteristics are managed.

Idiopathic toe walking (ITW) is when children walk without their heels making ground contact. This thesis explored “how do we examine” and “how do we treat” children with ITW. Novel findings included children with ITW being very physically active, displaying reduced leg strength, reduced movement in their ankle joints, sleeping less, and reporting lower health-related quality of life scores than peers. This thesis also highlighted the absence of strong evidence to support management strategies commonly used for ITW and where clinicians may draw upon what they have learned in treating other cohorts of children that toe walk.