Auburn University hosts a rich alumni network full of entrepreneurs and innovators. Alumna Dr. Jessie Luttrell is no exception with her new patent-pending product, No No Tip Toe, a toe insert designed to eliminate preadolescent toe walking.
According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, toe walking is “a pattern of walking in which a child walks on the balls of their feet, with no contact between the heels and ground.” Cleveland Clinic states this "fairly common" phenomenon tends to diminish naturally with age.
Unfortunately, some children continue to toe walk into preadolescence. For example, Cleveland Clinic also examines approximately 41% of neurodivergent children are still toe walkers at five and a half years old, long after their peers who usually stop around two.
While it may seem harmless, toe walking takes 83% more energy than regular walking, and pre-adolescents who continue to toe walk suffer short-term and long-term issues, from difficulty in motor skills and decreased social skills to deformed bones and stretched ligaments.
Non-surgical and surgical treatments to eliminate toe walking are available and although varying in extremity, all current leading methods are time-consuming, expensive and invasive. Serial casting, bracing and Botox therapy to weaken calf muscle are more common. If these methods do not work, the final resort is surgery where tightened Achilles tendons are lengthened to improve motion.
Luttrell, a 2016 College of Exercise Science graduate and Doctor of Physical Therapy, is now using her expertise to better the lives of children and their families by creating a less invasive and more effective method: No No Tip Toe.
“I just saw that these poor kids were going through surgeries and these really intense interventions to stop toe walking, and I just felt like there needed to be a more effective but less invasive intervention,” Luttrell said.
According to its official website, No No Tip Toe is a shoe insert designed to "stop toe walking in its tracks" when placed between the beginning of the toes and the ball of the foot. Through step transformation, gentle pathways and shoe solutions, this insert helps patients walk flat-footed, develop properly and enjoy their youth.
Before attending physical therapy school at the University of South Alabama, Luttrell studied exercise science at Auburn University. Although Auburn did not have a physical therapy doctoral program when Luttrell attended, the university served a pivotal role in her education.
Auburn alumnus Jessie Luttrell poses for a photo with Aubie at spring 2016 commencement. Contributed by Jessie Luttrell.
“I felt like Auburn really prepared me for my future and gave me a good, solid foundation for physical therapy,” Luttrell said. “Their exercise science program is amazing. They have an Olympic training center, and all of their kinesiology professors were amazing, so it helped me know that I was in the right field for physical therapy.”
After graduating from Auburn in May 2016, Luttrell “fell in love with pediatrics” during her clinicals at Children’s Hospital in Birmingham and noticed the common issue of toe walking. Recognizing the need for a gentler treatment, Luttrell started to create the product, which would become No No Tip Toe.
“I started doing it for free, and I was just making [the inserts] by hand and putting them in people’s shoes, but then I realized there’s a big need for it,” Luttrell said. “[...] So, I had a lot of people come back to me and ask, ‘Where can I get more of these?’ and ‘Where can I? My friend needs one,’ and so I realized I needed to make this a little bit bigger scale than it is right now.”
To make the insert more affordable, Luttrell collaborated with engineers at the University of Alabama in Huntsville and designed No No Tip Toe through 3D printing.
“I wanted it to be cheap and affordable for families, because a lot of things in the medical field – if your child needs a wheelchair or orthotics – they're really expensive and you have to go through insurance and a lot of people get denied,” Luttrell said. “I wanted my product specifically to be able to be affordable to all families. That was really my heart, trying to make this the most affordable way possible but still make it good quality.”
Now, only six months after its official release in August 2024, No No Tip Toe has become a worldwide success. Clients include physical therapy clinics and doctors, American patients and even international patients from Australia, Canada and New Zealand.
Luttrell is thankful for the success, yet she focuses on her initial mission: helping patients live a full, healthy life. Although No No Tip Toe is international, Luttrell has also seen its impact in her own backyard through her patients.
“I’ve had several families that I know were lined up to get surgery. I have patients of my own that were scheduled for surgery and were desperate, and the parents didn’t want these interventions and the patients definitely didn’t,” Luttrell said. “Six-year-old kids don’t wanna go in there and get surgery, and so to see their faces and the parents’ responses whenever it did work has just been amazing to know that I’ve kept them from something traumatic.”
Now, Luttrell hopes to make non-invasive measures like No No Tip Toe the standard by challenging obsolete medical norms.
“I’d really like for it to be something that just helps other people challenge the current interventions we have for different conditions in pediatrics,” Luttrell said. “A lot of these pediatric physical therapy practices have been in play for so long that no one’s challenged them, and they’re outdated, so I just hope that this can help spark some interest and help spark some innovation in the physical therapy field, so we don’t just stand still and take these outdated, medieval interventions.”
Those interested can purchase No No Tip Toe in kids, youth and adult sizes on the official website for $35 each. Doctor consultation is recommended for others unsure if the insert is right for their children.
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