Why do my daughter's feet turn in?
My three year old daughter’s feet turn in, especially when she runs or is wearing boots in the winter. She even trips over her feet occasionally. She has no pain or limping. Should she see a foot doctor?
It’s a good idea to have her pediatrician take a look next time you’re in the office, but likely what she has is femoral anteversion, a normal variation in the placement of her hips. The thigh bone connects with the pelvis at the hip socket and in many children it is a bit turned in or “anteverted." This positioning makes the thigh rotate inward, the knees point slightly toward each other and the feet turn in. Most parents only see the turning in of the feet and worry that their child has a foot problem. The feet are actually straight in relation to the legs, it’s the whole leg that is rotated inward.
Femoral anteversion decreases around adolescence, but your daughter will always have some in-toeing. A good thing about femoral anteversion is that it gives a mechanical advantage in running. All great sprinters have these hips, so your daughter has a future in track, cross-country or other running sports.
