Can ride bike but not run without tripping?

[gourd]

Nearly 4 DD trips over daily, usually so fast she doesn't put hands out and falls on her face which is covered in cuts and bruises. She has never fallen off her bike (doesn't need stabilisers), ever, so its not a balance issue she just seems unable to run without falling. Is is normal at this age?

[Toastmonster]

DS nearly 4 can run so fast and very rarely trips over yet still can't peddle a trike or ride a scooter. I think they concentrate on certain things and it just comes in time. They really are so different, I was a constant worrier and it's taken me nearly 4 years to not compare and just see his constant improvement and what's good for him. Thinking of your dd, I think it is fairly normal for them to be a bit clumsy, do things too fast, is it a certain pair of shoes? Other than just saying slow down a bit and concentrate I don't think there's much you can do, I'm sure a HV would say the same

[Trollsworth]

Check the fit of her shoes.

[plentyofshoes]

Ds is like this. After pushing our gp we got a referal and he has knock knees unfortunately. He has got physio soon so it should improve.

[LeMousquetaireAnonyme]

shoes fit badly.
too small or to big feet for her frame.
knock knees/bow legs
bad coordination probably not if she can ride a bike
something else?

I had knock knees and kept being distracted by the world
DD2 has big feet and keep being distracted by the world/looking behind her...

[kaffkooks]

Is her vision OK? Does she have a squint? I was exactly the same as a child because I had double vision due to an undiagnosed eye problem. It meant I couldn't always see obstacles when running but bikes can get over rocks that I would have tripped over. Basically, I have normal co-ordination but bad eyesight.

[gourd]

Thanks for replies, her shoes dont help tho she does trip and injure her bare feet an awful lot too. She insists her shoes are too tight (they aren't, they were fitted a few weeks ago and still fit) so won't fasten them properly and wears them very loose round the ankles. She has stopped wearing her trainers and wants to wear the mary jane type more, but won't allow ne to fasten them securely round the ankle. She mostly is barefoot at home in garden and at park when in the play area which is on sand. She still trips over a lot without shoes on but possibly not as much. She has fallen over only once this last week though, so perhaps it was a bad fortnight previously- i hope so as it really was every single day!

[gourd]

Her distance eyesight seems to be better than mine(but could just be she is more observant)- but i am very lobg sighted with astigmatism in both eyes and as i age my eye muscles cant work as well to focus so i dont see as well as i used to without glasses. my actual eyesight is the same- the prescription is different cos my eyes are not so good at adjusting all the time. I hope DD does not need glasses but it is fairly likely as i had to wear them from age 4 reception. I am still very long sighted, so seeing obstacles was never a problem, it was reading which was difficult as i had to hold a book at arms length to see the words! This didnt stop me being able to read well before i started school or was told i needed glasses tho. If DD has inherited the family long sight and astigmatism (dad and grandma also have it) i still don't think that would be the cause of all the falls, but if she keeps doing it will have to get her eyes tested just in case.

[gourd]

Thanks for replies, her shoes dont help tho she does trip and injure her bare feet an awful lot too. She insists her shoes are too tight (they aren't, they were fitted a few weeks ago and still fit) so won't fasten them properly and wears them very loose round the ankles. She has stopped wearing her trainers and wants to wear the mary jane type more, but won't allow ne to fasten them securely round the ankle. She mostly is barefoot at home in garden and at park when in the play area which is on sand. She still trips over a lot without shoes on but possibly not as much. She has fallen over only once this last week though, so perhaps it was a bad fortnight previously- i hope so as it really was every single day!

[Ollybob]

Have a look at her feet when she walks, it's possible one or both turn in slightly which would cause her to trip over her own two feet.
My dd had this and grew out of it but we had regular trips to the podiatrist just to keep an eye on it.
It would possibly explain why she is fine on a bike where her feet are kept in a constant position rather than walking where they can turn in or out causing her to trip or lose balance.

[PenelopeGarciasCrazyHair]

My dd did this every single day without fail, her poor knees were always covered in scrapes and every pair of tights and leggings got holes in! She's now 7 and thankfully for the last couple of years she has been much better but she does have massive feet! I'm sure that didn't help.

Ds also has low arches and used to drag his feet a lot, so as others have suggested, a trip to a podiatrist might be in order. Regardless of whether you think it is a factor, an eye test is a good idea, just like going to the dentist, just to check that there are no issues. Often problems can be treated easily and effectively up to the age of 7.

[gourd]

Thanks for this, will have a look at her feet and gait and defo go for an eye test.

[mawbroon]

DS1 was like this. He was in the medical room at school getting his knees patched up almost every day!

I later found out he had a curve in his neck (there actually happens to be an x ray of it on my profile). The problem in the neck meant that his hips were out of line making one leg "longer" than the other. This had a knock on effect on his ankles - one was rolling in and th other rolling out.

His orthodontist also does osteopathy and straightened him out in a couple of sessions.

No more tripping up!