Chicago Physical Therapy Tips • Jan 20, 2021

Awkward Running or Walking? Physical Therapy Can Help!

Rose McLean, PT, DPT, c/NDT, is co-owner and lead physical therapist at Chicago Pediatric Therapy & Wellness Center, where she has dedicated over 20 years…

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Rose McLean

Rose McLean, PT, DPT, c/NDT, is co-owner and lead physical therapist at Chicago Pediatric Therapy & Wellness Center, where she has dedicated over 20 years to helping children with developmental challenges achieve their movement goals. Rose's specialized focus on pediatric physical therapy, combined with her commitment to multidisciplinary collaboration, has made her a trusted resource for families navigating motor delays, neurological conditions, and complex developmental needs throughout Chicago. Rose earned her Doctorate in Physical Therapy from Northwestern University in Chicago in 2004, where she received rigorous training in both pediatric and neurological rehabilitation. She began her clinical career at Cincinnati Children's Hospital, consistently ranked among America's top pediatric medical centers, where she gained invaluable experience treating children with diverse and medically complex conditions. This foundation shaped her evidence-based, child-centered approach to therapy. Beyond her doctoral training, Rose holds certification in Neurodevelopmental Treatment (NDT), a specialized intervention approach for children with cerebral palsy, neurological impairments, and other developmental disorders. She also maintains registration with Illinois' Early Intervention Program, allowing her to provide services to infants and toddlers (birth to age 3) in both home and clinic settings. Rose's therapeutic style is distinctively playful and highly individualized. She invests time in understanding each child's personality, interests, and motivators, then designs sessions that feel like play while targeting specific developmental goals. Whether working on strength, balance, coordination, or motor planning, Rose ensures therapy remains engaging and appropriately challenging. In 2014, Rose partnered with her husband Patrick to establish Chicago Pediatric Therapy & Wellness Center, driven by a vision that pediatric therapy should be comprehensive, collaborative, and convenient. She wanted to eliminate the fragmentation families often experience when their child needs multiple therapies—instead offering coordinated care where physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, behavior analysts, and social workers communicate regularly about each child's progress. Rose also prioritized creating community spaces where families can connect and children can learn social skills alongside therapeutic development.

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Do you ever feel like when your child is active that they look awkward running or that something is off when they are walking? Does your child duck walk or walk pigeon toed? Maybe they also run in that position? You may be curious what on earth can physical therapists really do about it. Well, this blog post is here to answer those questions.

Awkward Running or Walking: The Interview

First, when you arrive to a pediatric physical therapy session with your child you will be interviewed briefly by the therapist. The PT will want to know what your concerns are. Similarly, they will want to get an idea of your child’s developmental history. Such as when did they crawl, how long did they crawl, when did they walk on their own, etc. They will ask when you first noticed the walking/running pattern. Awkward Running

In addition, You should tell your therapist if there is a family history of duck or pigeon walking. Along with what (if anything) helped other family members. The PT will also want to know about sleeping and sitting positions your child prefers. All of these questions, and potentially more, will help the PT develop an accurate picture of your child’s presentation. After that, the interview process the evaluation will begin!

The Evaluation

This is the fun part. The PT will watch your child move, take measurements, and complete different assessments. These will help to determine the root cause of the awkward running or in-toe/out-toe position of the legs. No worries if your child is shy or nervous. Pediatric physical therapists have a wide variety of fun and engaging ways to get your child excited about the evaluation.

Development of The Plan

Once the PT has determined what is primarily leading to your child’s walking and/or running pattern the plan for how to correct it begins. Sometimes, this may be simple reassurance that your child’s walking/running pattern is normal for their age and their development. Other times, you and the PT will come up with a plan of action of how to best address the evaluation findings that are contributing to the awkward run or walk. For instance, here are a few things that may be involved in that plan.

→ Positioning: The PT may prescribe a home program that involves a varied sitting pattern such as avoidance of W sitting, which often times can lead to abnormal postures when standing and walking.

→ Footwear: The therapist may suggest modification of what type of shoes your child wears to better support the arches of the foot. They may recommend therapeutic taping or supportive inserts to improve the leg alignment of your child.

→ Strengthening: Often, the PT will determine an area of muscles (core, back, hips, lower leg) that will need some strengthening or stabilizing through resistive exercise.

→ Stretching: PT’s may also discover different muscles that may be tight that are contributing to the less than optimal running or walking patterns.

→ Gait and Functional Retraining: The heart of pediatric physical therapy! Using verbal, visual, and tactile cues to help your child learn to move in the best alignment possible.

→ Play: Each and every pediatric physical therapy treatment involves plenty of creative play. Above all, the goal is to make the other areas of the plan seem like something they actually want to be doing!

Conclusion: Make a Plan to Treat Awkward Running or Walking

In conclusion, If you are thinking that a physical therapy evaluation might be just what your child needs, please call Chicago Pediatric Therapy & Wellness Center at (773) 687-9241 to schedule a pediatric walking and running assessment today. For more Physical Therapy and Pediatric content make sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

Awkward Running