Learn more about curvature of the arms

We can learn in detail about the case of bowed arms, its causes, and appropriate treatment methods in the following article.

Arms arched
Arms arched

Arms arched

What is the curvature of the arms? A curvature can occur in the joints, such as that which occurs in the back joints, and causes bending, or the curvature is in the joints of the knees, and this causes a curvature in the leg. An uncommon type of curvature is the curvature of the arms, and it is the result of a health problem in the elbow joint, which causes scoliosis in the arms.

The curvature of the arms affects the patient’s ability to move or use the arms normally, and some activities that require the use of the arm have pain, and sometimes the patient stops exercising, and the curvature of the arms is considered one of the forms of deformity that affect the person, and sometimes it is a symptom of another disease.

The curvature in the arms can be clear and have symptoms that cause difficulty in moving the arms, or there may be slight scoliosis in the arm, and thus its symptoms are not clear.

The curvature of the elbow joint

A person may have a curve in the elbow joint, and thus the angle of curvature of the joint is abnormal, which exposes the joint to difficulty in movement, and symptoms begin to increase over time. Starting treatment early can help improve the patient’s condition faster.

Bowed arms in children

Children can be exposed to a bow in the legs as a result of more than one reason, including a fracture in the elbow that resulted in an injury to the part responsible for growth, or the elbow not returning to its normal position after the fracture. Also, the arm bow can be a congenital disorder that is a result of the joint and thus changes from the angle of flexion of the arm.

A child may be exposed to curvature of the arm at an early age, and medical examination and appropriate diagnosis are the best solutions in order to start treatment that suits the condition and to have a better and faster recovery when early detection of curvature of the arms.

Reasons for bowed arms

The curvature of the arms is often one of the types of injuries that occur to children, especially newborns, but adults can also be exposed to it as a disorder that affects the shape of the joint and weakens the muscles, thus limiting the ability of the arm to move normally. There are a number of other reasons, including the following:

  • Arm fracture.
  • The presence of a deformity in the growth center.
  • A severe rise in the child’s temperature.
  • Childhood rickets.
  • Fractures of the elbow bones.
  • An abnormality in the bone tissue that leads to abnormal bone growth.

There are many reasons that can lead to a curve in the arms, and a doctor should be consulted when symptoms appear, so that a physical diagnosis and examinations can be done that help to find out the cause of the curve in the arm, and the patient’s condition should be improved through appropriate treatment.

Symptoms of bowed arms 

Some symptoms appear in a patient with bowed arms, which indicates the presence of scoliosis in the elbow or elbow joint, and attention must be paid to the symptoms that appear on the patient in the first periods of the injury because diagnosis during this period and treatment improves the condition of the bowed arms and enables the patient to return to his normal movement.

Here are some of the symptoms that can appear in someone with bowed arms:

  • Weakness in the muscles of the arms.
  • Limiting movement of the affected joint.
  • Stiffness in the affected joint.
  • A warp in the shape of the arm when it is straightened.
  • Sometimes there are respiratory problems.
  • Feeling uncomfortable when using the arm.

The symptoms that appear on the injured person are identified during the physical examination, and the doctor then orders an x-ray and magnetic resonance imaging in order to have an accurate clarification of the condition of the joint and to know the extent of the damage to the joint. On this basis, the most appropriate type of treatment for the patient is determined.

Curved arms treatment

A person can be affected by the curvature of the arms, especially in children up to the age of three years, and the child’s condition can improve without the need for treatment, but in the event of an increase in the angle of warp or a noticeable effect on the movement of the joint, the specialist orthopedic doctor should be referred to start treatment.

There is no treatment method suitable for all cases of bowing of the arms, but work is being done to improve the condition of the bowing through the use of the following types of treatment:

  • Physiotherapy: This type of treatment improves the condition of the joint through exercises dedicated to the condition of the bowed arms.
  • Use of auxiliary tools: It is possible to use tools such as splints and auxiliary devices that limit the increase in curvature with age and reduce the presence of warp in the arm.
  • Surgical treatment: In advanced cases of curvature of the arms, surgical intervention is the best solution because it works to correct the condition of the joint and reduce the curvature.