A Retrospective Analysis of Nonoperative Treatment Techniques for Idiopathic Toe Walking in Children: Outcomes and Predictors of Success

Background The lack of consensus regarding optimal nonoperative management of idiopathic toe walking (ITW) results in wide variation in treatment across providers and institutions. Untreated toe walking can cause persistence of abnormal gait and symptomatic foot deformity in adulthood. Objective To examine the outcomes of multiple commonly used nonoperative treatment techniques in a large cohort of children with ITW to better inform management of this condition. Design Retrospective cohort study. Setting Single tertiary care children's hospital from 2008 to 2015. Patients Two hundred four children with ITW, aged 4 to 7 years at time of diagnosis, nonoperatively managed in orthopedic surgery, rehabilitation medicine, neurodevelopmental medicine, neurology, or physical therapy clinics. Interventions Nonoperative techniques included observation, home stretching program, physical therapy program, use of ankle-foot orthoses (AFOs), and serial casting. Main Outcome Measures Greater than or equal to 10 degrees of ankle dorsiflexion with the knee extended or walking on toes less than 25% of the time at last visit. Failure of treatment was defined as not achieving resolution criteria or requiring surgical intervention following failed nonoperative management. Results Only 121 children (59.3%) attended at least one follow-up visit. Of those, 55 (45.5%) had a successful outcome. Increasing severity of ITW was associated with increased rate of follow-up (P = .03) and lower rates of successful treatment (P = .03). The use of AFOs was the only treatment modality associated with a successful outcome (unadjusted/adjusted odds ratio 3.97; [95% confidence interval, 1.80-8.74] and 4.81 [95% confidence interval, 1.91-12.1], respectively; P = .001). Conclusions Loss to follow-up is common in children with ITW. Of those children who returned to clinic, less than half had a successful outcome. The only treatment technique statistically associated with short-term resolution of toe walking was the use of AFOs.