My Child Is Pigeon Toed: What Does That Mean?

Having a child who is pigeon-toed is one of the most common reasons that parents consult a specialist. “Over 90 percent of these children will outgrow it,” says Roger Saldana, M.D. a pediatric orthopedic surgeon with Miami Orthopedics and Sports Medicine Institute at Baptist Children’s Hospital.
Watch the video to learn more about intoeing from Dr. Saldana.

Want to see more?

[Transcripts]
[My Child is Pigeon Toed]
[What Does That Mean?]
[Doctor demonstrating what Pigeon toe is]
Roger Saldana:
Intoeing is basically when your child comes in and walks with their feet pointing towards the midline. Most people walk with feet out about 10 degrees. Pigeon toes are with the foot inside. Intoeing is very common; it's by far one of the most common reasons for us to see patients in the office, but most pediatricians do a very good job at telling you if there's something more that needs to be done. It can come from three different places. It can come from your thigh bone, your tibia, or your foot. Any one of those things can be curved to cause the foot to progress forward.
[When to see a specialist]
[Prognosis of Intoeing]
Roger Saldana:
I like to see a patient when they're having so many issues that they're falling enough to get to the emergency room for fracture care, for stitches, or for dental work. If that's the case, we can help them out with some supportive devices. We now know that this condition improves on its own. It doesn't cause any lasting issues; no arthritis, no other joint issues or bone issues. The bracing can actually cause weakness that can maybe even delay the progress of them getting better on their own. More than 90% of these kids will outgrow this, absolutely.
[Miami Orthopedics & Sports Medicine Institute]
[Baptist Health South Florida]
[End Transcript]

[teagankerber]

First off, from a girl who’s had surgery for pigeon toe. It doesn’t just “go away” or outgrow itself. It’s stays with you for your WHOLE LIFE. It also can cause many long term effects with your knees and (depending on where the torsion is) your femur or your tibia. It’s not just some simple thing that just goes away for most people, it’s the opposite. The scars that were left from my surgery are always a constant reminder of what I had to go through FOR YEARS OF MY LIFE. This video not only simplifies the whole process of having pigeon toe, but degrades any person who has gone through a surgery or procedure to get this fixed. I’m disgusted.

[teagankerber]

I’ve never felt more belittled from a YouTube video.

[cordellpak]

guess im the 10% that never outgrew it

[ptrckmuir]

What about kids that don't out grow this??

[JJ_FLA]

I was a pigeon-toed little girl and my mother hated it. She hated to see me walking and would look at me with disgust tell me to point my toes out.

[teagankerber]

This is not informational at all. It doesn’t always just “solve on its own”. It’s a very painful thing to go through and the procedures can be EXTREMELY expensive. It doesn’t just “go away” for others and it’s not just something that disappears. It can have VERY long lasting issues with knee issues and much more. As someone who’s had pigeon toe and the surgery this video is completely useless and offensive.

[tst]

I had this growing up and it did go away by itself. But now my son has it too, hopefully it goes away by itself too

[stellaandlanihutcheon]

Now I know what pigeon tow does.that helps me lots