My Kid Has A Funny Running Style - Should I Be Worried?

As a parent you always worry about anything that seems unusual in your child.  You spend a lot of time observing your children, partly to make the most of the short time it takes for them to grow up, and partly to make sure all’s well with their development.

Podiatrists often see children brought to their clinic by parents worried about their child’s development. This is often triggered by seeing the child run and feeling that it looked ‘odd’ or maybe they seemed uncoordinated or tripped a lot. 

Concerns always taken seriously

Any healthcare professional will take such concerns seriously, because if any developmental issues are discovered the outcome is more likely to be improved by early detection.  Also, we all know how such concerns can gnaw away at both parent and child and a thorough examination with full explanation is thoroughly justified in order to allay such concerns.

Skeletal development

These differences reflect the progressive development and maturation of the skeleton.

Consider the legs and feet of a baby – the knees face the sides, while the soles of the feet face each other – very different from an adult’s. So during development, the hips need to rotate so the knees face forward, and complex derotation at the ankle brings the foot into a more plantigrade position i.e. with the sole facing the ground.[1]

So it’s hardly surprising that when viewed partway through their normal development children may sometimes look a little awkward.

And in the main, that is all you are seeing when you find your child has an ungainly run. But a visit to a podiatrist may still be advisable to double check, and so they can explain exactly what you’re seeing.

What things might a podiatrist notice?

One of the most commonly seen is flat feet, meaning the foot has a low arch.  A much smaller percentage will present with very high arches – sometimes called a cavoid foot.[2]

Moving upwards, the calves may bow out from the knee to the ankle (tibial varum or ‘bow legs’) or do the opposite with the knees touching and the ankles further apart (genu valgum – ‘knock knees’).  When you look at your child from the side you may notice that their calves bow backwards from the knees – known as hyperextension of the knee joint or genu recurvatum.

But a podiatrist will also test for other things and carefully observe your child walking or running.

Corrective exercises for a proper running style 

A lot of people think that running style is inherited and there’s not much they can do. This is, however, not true. Let's take a look at the most common mistakes children (and even adults!) make when they run and a few tips that can help cure the following mistakes. If you or your child's trainer spend up to ten minutes working on running technique, your child will improve his running technique and will absolutely get faster. 

1. The child overextends the lead foot in order to try to cover more ground. This type of running is very inefficient because the child will continually stop and start.

How to correct it? 

The child should place the foot directly under the hips instead of extending it too much forward. This type of feet placement will help the child run faster and his legs will turn over smoother.

2. The child leans forward at the waist. The problem with this type of body position is that prevents an efficient use of his leg muscles. Another big problem that results from this type of body position is running on his heels instead of the forefoot.

How to correct it? 

The child should stand tall: his ears, shoulders, hips, and ankles are all in the line. The child should slightly bend his knees and then from this position, he should lean forward at the ankles so that his heels are barely touching the ground. Yes, this is the angle they should run at, and also the angle where the feet should strike the ground. A corrective exercise would be to have the child run from this position and maintain the forward lean from the ankles for up 50 meters.

3. Child wastes his energy by swinging her arms or bobbing his head when he runs. The exercise described above (ankle angle running) should help them with the head position.

To avoid arm swinging, the child should hold his arms at 90-degree angle and swing them from the shoulders. This way the hands will swing from the back pocket up to the hips. The child should first exercise slowly, and then he should increase speed. The final stage of this exercise would be to combine this and the ankle angle exercise: add the part of the exercise with arm positioning to the previous exercise with the forward lean.

4. The child is trying to push off the leg for distance because he thinks that by pushing off hard, he will cover more distance. The problem is that his foot stays on the ground for too long. A child should run with a very quick lift of the foot. 

How to correct it? 

Teach your child to run with a quick lift of the foot, so as soon as the forefoot touches the ground, the heels will lift up towards the hips. The foot will swing forward and touch the ground directly under the hips.

Do any of these things need treatment?

This basically depends on whether it’s currently painful, or likely to cause problems in the future.  Because so many of these developmental changes will resolve on their own with time, it’s often best to adopt a ‘watch and wait’ policy. In other words keep an eye on it yourself and take your child for annual check-ups with a podiatrist to monitor the situation.

Some of the positions mentioned earlier are excessive in the early years having resulted from the baby’s cramped position in the confines of the uterus (womb).  But again, usually they just take time to unravel themselves and are not a cause for concern. 

Also, children that habitually sit on the floor with their legs bent into a ‘W’ position often have internal rotation of the hips, so that the knees tend to face each other. If this condition persists into the teenage years it can cause knee pain which definitely requires consultation with a healthcare professional as if necessary it can be treated with surgery.[2]

Painful conditions always need investigation

But obviously any child with painful feet or legs must be taken to a podiatrist or doctor, for thorough investigation and treatment.  It is not unusual for rapidly-growing children to have fleeting aches – often called ‘growing pains’ – but sustained or frequent pains should always be investigated.  

To treat or not to treat

This frequently includes excessive pronation which means that during the gait cycle (walking pattern) the child rolls their foot inwards, with lowering of the arch.  Pronation is a normal part of the gait cycle, but when prolonged or at the wrong time in the cycle, it can cause problems. It may be associated with abnormalities such as bunions (enlargement of big toe joint).[3]

The difficulty in assessing these things in children is that their joints are so flexible they can often withstand such abnormalities without any untoward effect. And currently it is not known whether correcting these abnormalities in children prevents problems in adulthood. 

Are there any danger signs to look out for?

If you or your child is bothered by anything which looks abnormal it is wise to have it checked out by a healthcare professional. As well as anything which is persistently painful, it is obvious that any difficulties in walking must be investigated.

Episodes of tripping and clumsiness are usually just a passing phase, caused by stages of development. But if excessive, prolonged or causing your child distress, you should take them to a physician or podiatrist. 

Any strange lumps or bumps also need investigation as do any strange feelings such as pins and needles or numbness, which suggest neurological (nerve problems).

If in doubt, seek help.