The main sign of bowed legs is the appearance of your child's legs. Their knees won't touch when they stand with their feet and ankles together. The bowing is most obvious when they're walking. Sometimes children may walk with their toes pointed inward (pigeon toes or intoeing).
Children who start walking at a younger age have more noticeable bowing. In most kids, the outward curving of the legs corrects on its own by age 3 or 4. The legs might even look curved inward (knock-knees). The legs usually straighten by age 7 or 8.
Rickets: This is a disease caused by prolonged deficiency of vitamin D, which is essential for the healthy growth and development of bones. This condition causes the bones to become soft and weak, causing the legs to bow.
In adults, bowing of the legs can be the result of osteoarthritis or wear-and-tear arthritis of the knees. 4 This condition can wear away the cartilage and surrounding bone of the knee joint. If the wear is more on the inner side of the knee joint, a bow-legged deformity may develop.
Babies are born bowlegged because of their position in the womb. You may notice bowleggedness more as your child starts to stand and walk, but typically the legs gradually straighten out. By age 3, most kids no longer appear bowlegged.
Your child won't become bowlegged standing or bouncing on you; that's just an old wives' tale.
One old belief says that letting babies “stand” or bear weight on their legs with their parents' help before they're ready to stand on their own can cause bowed legs, but this belief is a myth.
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.
The most common symptom of a bowleg condition is that a person's knees do not touch while standing with their feet and ankles together. This causes a bowing of the legs that, if it continues beyond three years of age, suggests there is a bowleg deformity.
A very young bow-legged child can wear a brace in order to stretch his or her legs, straightening the bowlegs over time. Braces work by applying traction at regular intervals during the day. Traction is used to pull both ends of the bowleg away from each other, stretching the leg bones into normal alignment.
Incorporate healthy doses of milk or curd in every meal toward your child's vitamin D and calcium requirements. This will increase the chances of straightening the bent legs in your child (if the cause is vitamin D deficiency).
In cases where the bow leg deformity makes one leg shorter than the other, limb lengthening surgery may be recommended. If bow legs are the result of a genetic case of rickets, your child will need specialized treatment from an endocrinologist.
The belief that bowlegs can be corrected without surgery is a fallacy. Varus deformity around the knee is a structural deviation from normal bone alignment. Exercise, stretching, strengthening, physical therapy, and vitamins will make your muscles and bones stronger but will not change the shape of the bones.
Recommended exercises: Swimming, Cycling, Rowing, Yoga, Pilates, Tai Chi. Exercises not recommended: Running, Soccer, Aerobics, Basketball, Tennis, Volleyball. If you have bow legs, you can maintain a healthy lifestyle and do gentle exercises to correct your foot structure gradually.
What is bowlegs? Bowlegs (genu varum) is a condition in which a child's legs curve outward at the knees. When a child with bowlegs stands with their toes pointing forward, their ankles may touch but their knees remain apart. Bowlegs is considered a normal part of growth in babies and toddlers.
Because bow legs can alter your knees' structure, it can affect how your legs move. This can lead to an increased risk of knee, hip, and ankle issues. You may also have more problems with balance and stability.
The main problem with bowed legs is that osteoarthritis may develop in the inner (medial) area of the knee, causing pain, swelling, and limitations with recreational sports and eventually, problems with normal activities of daily living.
Genua vara or bow legs is a deviation of the knees from a vertical axis which goes through the hip joint, knee joint and ankle joint on the anterior side. This alignment is caused by tight hip and weak abductors.
A child with bowed legs has a distinct space between his or her lower legs and knees. This may be a result of either one or both of the legs curving outward. Walking often exaggerates this bowed appearance.
Some fish (for example, salmon or light canned tuna). Eggs. Vitamin D-fortified products like plain whole cow's milk (for children 12 months and older), yogurt, cereals, and some 100% juices.
Your baby's legs will straighten out within six to 12 months. Swollen genitals in both boys and girls — Boys might have swollen scrotums, lasting six to 12 months, or the hymen in girls might be swollen, disappearing within two to four weeks.
SO WHY DOES MY BABY SEEM TO WANT TO STAND ALL OF THE TIME??
From 0-4 or 5 months, your baby has been working on strengthening their extensor muscles (the muscles on the backside of their body). They strengthen these muscles through tummy time.
If the head of a baby is not well-controlled and you are forcing the baby to sit, the baby can be injured because the head will be flopping and can cause injuries. “Again, the muscles there are not strong enough and the brain will not respond to what you are doing. It is dangerous to start sitting a baby at two months.