Bowlegs: Can you prevent it or treat it?
What is bowleg?
Bowleg is an orthopaedic condition affecting the legs in which a person’s knees stay widely apart even when their ankles are together, giving the legs a bowed look. In many cases, this is due to abnormal bone development, illness, or growth plate deformities.
Up until the age of two, bowing of the legs is not unusual. In fact, there is a broad spectrum of what is considered normal. Doctors frequently use the generic term physiologic genu varum to describe this condition. In common usage, it is also sometimes referred to as bowed legs or bowleggedness.
Infants are typically born bowlegged due to their positioning while in the mother’s womb. In most cases, the legs begin to straighten once the child starts to bear weight on their legs while standing or walking (between 12 and 18 months old). By age two or three, the legs typically begin to look more like knock knees or knees bending inward toward each other. After six years of age, most children’s knees assume a straighter alignment that is considered normal.
A doctor should be consulted to determine whether a child has the potential to develop a deformity if:
- The angle of the thigh bone to shin bone fall out is outside of the normal range
- The direction of the knees versus the direction the foot falls outside the normal pattern
- The leg is significantly more (or less) angled than the other
Symptoms of bowleg syndrome include:
- Bowing of the legs that do not improve after the age of three
- Knees do not touch when standing with feet and ankles together
- Knee or hip pain
- Reduced range of motion in hips
- Difficulty walking or running
- Knee instability
- Progressive knee arthritis in adults
- Patients or parents may be unhappy with aesthetics
What causes bowleg?
Bowleg syndrome may be caused by various illnesses, including:
- Abnormal bone development (bone dysplasia)
- Blount’s disease (more information below)
- Paget’s disease (a metabolic disease impacting the way bones break down and rebuild)
- Improperly healed fractures
- Lead poisoning
- Fluoride poisoning
- Achondroplasia (the most common form of dwarfism)
- Rickets (a bone-weakening disorder caused by a vitamin D deficiency)
- Damage to growth plate
Can bow legs be corrected?
Bow legs in babies and toddlers under the age of 2 typically resolve on their own. Your child’s healthcare provider will continue to track your child’s condition. Older children can be treated for bow legs depending on the cause of the condition.
How are bow legs corrected in babies?
Bowleg correction is unnecessary in babies and toddlers unless the condition is severe. If bow legs continue after age 2, bowleg treatment depends on the cause of the condition. Treatment may include special shoes, splints, braces, casts, surgery or treatment of the condition causing the bow legs.
- Blount’s disease. Early treatment with a splint or leg brace may be all that’s needed.
- Rickets. Your child’s healthcare provider may treat your child’s condition by adding vitamin D and calcium to their diet. Your child’s healthcare provider may refer you to a specialist for treatment if the rickets is due to a genetic condition.
If bowing continues despite other treatments, bowleg surgery may be needed to prevent further damage and correct the issue. Surgery options include:
- Guided growth. With this procedure, your child’s surgeon will place a small metal plate or staple in your child’s leg. This will temporarily stop growth on the healthy side of the shin bone so the unhealthy side can catch up. Your child’s leg will straighten with their natural growth, and your child’s surgeon will remove the plate or staple once alignment has improved.
- Tibial osteotomy. With this procedure, your child’s surgeon cuts the shin bone below the knee and reshapes it to fix the alignment. While the bone heals, it’s held in place with a plate and screws inside the leg or a frame that’s positioned outside the leg.
Can bow legs be corrected naturally?
Treatment of bow legs depends on the cause of the condition. Early treatment options may include special shoes, splints, braces or casts.
How do I stop my baby from getting bow legs?
There’s no way to prevent your baby from getting bowed legs. But you may be able to prevent certain conditions that are known to cause bowed legs. To prevent rickets, make sure your child is getting enough vitamin D and calcium in their diet. A bowleg baby is a very normal thing.
As your baby starts walking, their legs should start to straighten out. This typically occurs between the ages of 11 and 18 months. In most cases, the condition isn’t serious, and there aren’t any lasting side effects. If your child’s legs haven’t straightened by age 2, call their healthcare provider.