The curvature of the legs is a problem that affects the bones and makes their shape abnormal, and this causes discomfort to many individuals, and some of these conditions may go away on their own with the passage of time and others need a doctor’s intervention. In the following article, we will discuss all aspects of the curvature of the legs in children.

Bow legs in children

The curvature of the legs that affects children is normal as a result of their taking a bent position in the mother’s womb, and this curvature may continue until the child reaches the second year of life because the leg begins to straighten again when the child begins to walk and put body weight on the legs, and the legs have started The child takes a straight shape when he completes the third year.

When does the curvature of the legs begin in children?

The appearance of the curvature of the legs is observed in children mostly from birth until the completion of 24 months, and it is more evident when the child is under the age of 18 months, and the curvature begins to improve gradually over time.

Is the curvature of the legs in children normal?

There is no need to worry at all about the curvature of the legs in children, as this is a very natural matter, as this is a result of the position in which the fetus is in the mother’s womb, and the curvature begins to disappear with the growth of the child, especially in the period when he begins to walk and bear his weight on the legs.

The curvature of the legs in children is in varying degrees and differs from one child to another, and the more severe the curvature, the longer the treatment time will be, and it will be necessary to conduct a surgical intervention in order to control the shape of the bones and adjust them to be of a regular shape and help to restore the ability to move well.

How do I know that my child has a bow in the legs?

It is possible for the mother to recognize the curvature that her child suffers from in the legs by noticing that his knees are far from each other and it is not possible for them to meet when standing and bringing the ankles and feet together, and when one of the legs is bent towards the outside, there is a distance between the lower legs and the knees, And if this curvature continues after 3 years, this indicates a deformity in the shape of the leg, and this requires surgical intervention in order to modify it. Among the symptoms that appear in the child in the case of curvature of the legs are:

Feeling pain in the knee or hip area.
The ability to move the hips well decreases.
Difficulty running or walking.
Note knee instability.
The appearance of the legs becomes not good and consistent.

Degrees of curvature of the legs in children

When children suffer from the problem of bowed legs, this condition is diagnosed in many ways, such as:

A physical examination in which the doctor examines the child’s body completely and finds out the child’s medical history in detail.
The specialist doctor performs some of the necessary tests and analyses that help in diagnosing the condition, such as identifying the percentage of calcium and vitamin D in the body.
In many cases, the doctor requests some x-rays or MRI scans, which give accurate pictures of the bones to clarify the extent of the curvature in the child’s body.

There are two types of bowed legs in children, which are bowed legs in children outward and bowed legs inward, and each of them is explained as follows:

Curvature of the legs inward: In this type of curvature, the knees are unnaturally close to each other, and it is difficult for the child to able join his legs together.
The curvature of the legs towards the outside: This type of curvature makes a very big difference in the shape of the leg of the child and makes it an unnatural appearance at all, and the distance between the knees is very large, and this type of curvature affects both children and adults, and this has many causes and factors leading to it.

Bow legs in infants

Curvature in infants is a condition in which the legs are bent towards the outside and are more evident when the child tries to take a standing position and there is a distance between the knees. He passed the third year without noticing any improvement in the shape of the curvature.

There may be some methods that the mother can follow in order to reduce the chance of the child suffering from the problem of bowed legs after birth, which includes doing the following:

It is important for the mother to be aware throughout the pregnancy of the importance of taking nutritional supplements that contain vitamin D and calcium in order to promote bone growth in the fetus.
The mother must expose the fetus to sunlight on a daily basis, even for a short period of time, in order to obtain the normal percentage of vitamin D, and this must be in the early morning or two hours before sunset in order to avoid harmful sunlight.
Introducing foods that are rich in many vitamins and minerals in the child’s diet to ensure proper growth, such as eggs, fish, and dairy products.
Give the infant doses of vitamin D for prevention, and this must be under the supervision of a specialist doctor.

The treatment of the problem of curvature in the legs in infants lies in the doctor prescribing some supplements that contain vitamin D and sufficient levels of calcium in order to improve the ability of bones to grow and improve their hardness, and in some cases where the bones grow abnormally, the doctor can resort to intervention Surgery to correct the shape of the bones.

Curvature in children

The curvature that occurs in children may have many causes that necessitate going to the doctor in order to identify them clearly in order to determine the most appropriate method that will be followed in the treatment, and treatment of this problem is necessary because leaving it negatively affects the child’s psyche as a result of his feeling that something is wrong. In its form and reduces self-confidence, in addition to the fact that neglecting treatment affects the child with age, pain in the joints, especially in the knee area.

In addition, the curvature of the legs that afflicts the child clearly affects his height, which decreases as the severity of the curvature increases in the child, and in that case, when performing surgery in order to adjust the shape of the bones, an increased in height will be observed, and the curvature is considered a normal condition in some children, but there are some symptoms Which call for a feeling of concern as soon as it appears, as it is a sign of the existence of serious pathological causes of the curvature, and examples of these are:

The curvature increased sharply and got worse after the age of two, and no improvement was noticed in the child.
An inconsistent appearance for both legs and a difference is noted between them.
Movement in the hips becomes very limited.
The child begins to limp when walking.
Suffering from knee or hip pain that gets worse with time.
Loss of balance while walking or running.
Having back pain.
Noticing the short stature of the child.

There is another case of curvature in which the bones are inward, and this condition is also known as adhesion of the thighs, and in this case, the knees are very close to each other, but the feet are very far apart, and this position causes severe damage to the knee as a result of most of the body weight being on the outer area of the knee only There are many reasons that lead to an inward curvature in the legs, such as:

Suffering from a deficiency of vitamin D.
lack of calcium.
Paget’s disease of bone.
Fluoride or lead poisoning.
Blount’s disease.
A fracture in the knee joint has not been treated properly.
Injury to the growth center around the knee joint.
The appearance of congenital deformities since birth.
Suffering from rickets and osteomalacia.

Treating bowed legs in children

Children suffering from curvature of the legs may not need to receive any treatment, as this curvature may be moderated over time as soon as the child begins to walk and put pressure on the legs, but if no improvement appears immediately after doing so, the doctor may recommend in some cases to wear the child Supports for the leg until it contributes to adjusting the shape of the bones and may not be comfortable for the child during the night periods while sleeping.

Treating bowed legs for children may also include wearing special shoes that help adjust the shape of the bones. A splint may also be worn to correct this crookedness. This method is also effective in treating Blount’s disease.

When does the curvature of the legs disappear in children?

In most cases, the curvature that affects the legs in children may disappear on its own when the child is from 18 to 24 months old, but if there is no improvement in that period, this may be a sign of suffering from some developmental disorders, and this requires undergoing a medical diagnosis to identify clearly on the causes in order to focus on treating the underlying problem itself.

Treating bowed legs in children with herbs

There are some herbs that have very good therapeutic properties in order to get rid of the problem of the curvature of the legs, and one of the following herbs may be used or a combination of both of them interchangeably:

Thyme: It is useful in cases of osteoporosis that are caused by osteomalacia, whereby drinking thyme daily has a great ability to treat many problems that are associated with osteomalacia.
Rosemary: It is known as frankincense stones and contains many benefits for the human body. It is soaked in boiled water and drunk daily to eliminate curvature of the legs.
Henna powder: It is used by mixing it with some other ingredients, where this powder is torn with a small amount of milk, some watercress juice, and some olive oil, and they are mixed together well and the leg is greased with this mixture.

What is the treatment of bowed legs in children?

One of the types of treatment that the doctor prescribes in order to treat curvature of the legs in children is to prescribe medicines that contain vitamin D and calcium in good proportions to help strengthen the bones and stimulate their proper growth, and surgical intervention may be used sometimes to correct the shape of the bones through surgery in order to grow in a correct position.

Exercises to treat bowed legs in children

Exercise therapy is very important in order to get rid of the problem of bow legs in children, and the specialist doctor is the one who determines these exercises and how to do them well, and examples of them are:

Back and legs massage: This is done with massage oil and a little of it is placed on the places that will be massaged, after which some circular movements are made on the back with a focus on the spine and this is also done with the legs, and this helps to stimulate blood circulation, which helps to Bones are well nourished with both calcium and vitamin D.
Thigh bone joining exercise: In order to perform this exercise, the child is placed on his back in a straight manner, and the thigh bones are brought together, whether the specialized doctor is the one who does it or the mother, and when doing this step, care must be taken to avoid pulling on the child or pressing him in a violent way Where this movement must be done in a very soft and calm manner, and this exercise is repeated for half an hour on a daily basis.
Walking exercise: this exercise is resorted to in the event that the legs are bent in a large way so that it has begun to affect the child’s ability to walk, and this exercise is done by making the child stand on his feet and lift his body lightly until he starts walking, and care must be taken not to overdo it In this exercise, where the condition may worsen further, it is preferable not to do more than five minutes a day.

Causes of bowed legs in children

There are many reasons that lead to the occurrence of curvature in the legs of the child, whether it is internal or external. The degree of curvature varies according to the main cause that led to this from the beginning. In order to know the cause clearly, a doctor’s diagnosis must be submitted to this matter, and examples of the reasons that Lead to bowed legs in children:

Physiological curvature of the legs: The curvature of the legs may accompany the child since birth as a result of the position he was in in the mother’s womb and because the place is narrow for him in the uterine cavity, which causes a change in the natural shape of the child’s leg. This type of curvature heals on its own without any interference with the growth of the child. And he started walking, as the foot returned to its normal shape and position within a year or two.
The curvature of the legs due to Blount’s disease: This disease is considered one of the growth disorders that are rare and affects the bones and affects their growth naturally. Leg bone cells and this makes the patient have difficulty walking and bow legs.
Rickets: The child gets rickets as a result of exposure to a severe deficiency in vitamin D and calcium, and this makes the child’s bones very soft and very weak, and this is what causes a bow in the leg and the inability to walk well.
Dwarfism: dwarfism is a major cause of the deformation of the legs and suffering from their curvature, and this is the result of a genetic disorder that affects growth in a natural way.

When is the curvature of the legs diagnosed?

In the beginning, the curvature of the legs is diagnosed through a clinical examination by a specialist doctor, and if the age of the affected child is under two years and his health conditions are very stable, with an equal curvature in both legs, then, in that case, the case is followed up periodically and whether there is an improvement In the case of the child or not, but the matter may differ if there is a difference in the curvature of the legs and they are not similar to each other.

An appropriate method of treatment is also followed according to the main cause of the occurrence of the curvature in the child, and each case is treated as follows:

The curvature of the legs is physiological in the child: it does not need any treatment and disappears on its own when the child reaches the third or fourth year.
Blount’s disease: When this disease is the cause of the curvature, the treatment is in that case through the use of a special brace or the surgical solution in many cases.
Rickets: In this case, the focus is on treatment by providing the child with the essential vitamins and minerals he needs in order to ensure proper bone growth, and if no improvement is observed, surgical intervention may be required.

Does the curvature of the legs disappear in children?

It is possible for the curvature of the legs that affect children to disappear on its own if there is no disease causing its occurrence from the beginning, and if the real reason behind the curvature is the position in which the fetus was in the mother’s womb, then, in that case, it will heal on its own during the growth periods of the child. From 18 to 24 months.

As for adults who suffer from bowed legs, it is possible for them to hide the bowed legs by doing some exercises and some physical therapy methods, and stretching exercises may be used and their results can be observed well in cases that are not severe.

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The most appropriate exercises that can be followed according to the individual’s condition are determined by the specialized doctor, as it is not good for the patient to perform them on his own, as they are able to prescribe exercises that are safe on the knee area or modify some other exercises to suit the individual’s condition, and for example, Recommended exercises for improving the curvature of the legs:

Hamstring stretching exercises.
Groin stretching exercises.
Strengthening exercises for the gluteus medius with a resistance band.
Piriformis muscle stretching exercises, which is the muscle in the buttocks area.

Advantages of exercises that hide the curvature of the legs

Exercise helps to control and idealize weight in order to ensure that joint problems are prevented.
Muscle-strengthening exercises and stretching exercises are very helpful in keeping the knees in good shape.
Exercise plays a major role in the ability to balance and strengthen the legs.
Exercises that focus on correcting the arch reduce the space between the knees.
These exercises are able to protect the individual from osteoporosis.