Parents Correcting turn out

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TumbleTimes4

Proud Parent
My DDs feet naturally turn in when she walks (pigeon toed). Her coach last year told us that it's a deduction every time she lands with her feet turned in, especially on beam. They have been working on correcting the issue in the gym.

She has been checked by an orthopedist and there are no medical concerns, it's just the way she is made. I put her in a summer ballet class to see if that would help but I don't think she was in it long enough to make a difference. She is already in the gym three days a week and I didn't want to continue with ballet through the fall and add a fourth day of something else and try and keep up with school work on top of everything.

Are there any conditioning skills or methods she can do st home to help her have a more natural turn out?
 
I'd consult a PT or the orthopedist but I imagine doing exercises with a theraband to rotate the ankle out would help.
 
I'd consult a PT or the orthopedist but I imagine doing exercises with a theraband to rotate the ankle out would help.
Honestly, it's most likely not the ankle but the hip that needs to rotate. I have dealt with this my entire life. My dd has dealt with it too, but the thing that really helped her was dance classes. You can Google you tube videos about improving turn-out, there are lots of exercises in those. My dd has checked some of that out as well.
 
I just remembered this - my dd's best friend had the same thing and she used to take skating lessons because you couldn't actually skate if you were turned in. It was essentially therapy but fun.
 
My DD has big turn out too but I don't think she got deductions for her feet ever. She does need to run on her toes more to be fast, but that works out okay with the short runs in gym. Ballet teachers love her feet, but she left that sport years ago. She has also been advised that this needs "fixing" from the hips, but it doesn't really need fixing...
 
My DD has big turn out too but I don't think she got deductions for her feet ever. She does need to run on her toes more to be fast, but that works out okay with the short runs in gym. Ballet teachers love her feet, but she left that sport years ago. She has also been advised that this needs "fixing" from the hips, but it doesn't really need fixing...

My daughter's feet turn in.
 
My ODDs feet turn in too, due to her hips. She is seeing a PT as her one hip turns in more than the other, which put strain on one her calf muscles, which caused pain in her heel.
Besides the stretching and rolling, she has some hip strengthening exercises which she does twice daily. One is clamshells (lie on side with knees bent, lift upper knee while keeping hips in line). She also does half bridge-ups. Shoulders on the ground, tighten glutes and lift hips so that body is in a straight line.
 
Have you seen a chiropractor? My dd used to walk with her feet turned in. Part of it was her hips. Once adjusted she did it less, but still had to retrain herself to walk straight.
 
As mentioned above, proper turnout comes from the hips. A simple exercise to improve turnout is the frog sit. Lie facedown on the floor with the legs in a butterfly position.

I have terrible turnout and I don't find that ballet class helps much. I have to spend a lot of time in frog sits if I want to see better turnout in class.
 
Thank you all for your suggestions. I'm going to address it with her pediatrician again because I think it's getting worse. I'll check with a chiropractor and we will definitely be trying some frog sits!
 
I second the advice to consult a PT. They will be able to give you exercises and stretches that will help with the hip mobility (as mentioned, turnout comes from the hips but your DD may also have some inward twisting in her legs).
 
Just saw this and it looks similar to what we are going thru. My dd had an ankle fracture last fall, and we *think* that during recovery, she learned some bad habits, like turning in. In order to protect the injury, kwim? Anyway, now she turns in, and it is affecting lots of other things. Her knee and low back hurt. Her ankle hurts. She lands funny, drops the arch and rolls the foot when going up on releve (which in turn puts pressure on the knee). Anyway, PT is working with her a few times a week to strengthen her ankles and correct her functional strength overall with proper rotation. It isn't over yet, but seems to be improving.
 

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