If the wear is more on the inner side of the knee joint, a bow-legged deformity may develop. In some cases, the degree of bowing of the legs can correspond to the severity of arthritis along the inner side of the knee joint. Treatment of bow legs depends entirely on the cause of the condition. In order to determine the cause of a bow-legged problem, you should be evaluated by a healthcare provider. After being examined, your healthcare provider may order tests such as X-rays which can provide more information about bone alignment and possible abnormalities.
In young children under the age of 2 years old, bow legs are typically observed to see if, with continued growth and development, the condition will spontaneously resolve. Kids with Blount's disease may require surgical treatment to alter the growth of the tibia bone or to realign the bones, depending on the severity of the condition and the growth remaining.
Adults with severe arthritis most often consider knee replacement surgery. However, if the adult is younger, for example in their 20s, 30s, or 40s, they may consider a surgical procedure to realign the bone. By performing this procedure, called an osteotomy , the forces acting on the knee joint can often be shifted from the unhealthy part of the joint to the healthy part of the joint and correct the alignment of the knee.
Osteoarthritis is a potential cause of bowed legs in adults. It is a common form of arthritis that also causes joint pain, stiffness, limited range of motion, joint enlargement, and swelling.
Bowed legs usually only get worse with age if they are caused by an underlying disease or condition. For example, Paget's disease is a rare bone disorder that typically affects an older population.
One sign of the disease is the enlargement or bowing of bones, which can result in bowed legs. Leg braces can be used for toddlers with bowed legs caused by Blount's disease. As a child grows, the bracing guides their legs into a more straight position to prevent bowed legs. Improvement is often seen within the first 12 months of this treatment. If a child's legs still aren't improved by the age of four, surgery may be required.
Varus is a medical term used to define a misaligned knee. It is most frequently seen in babies and young toddlers, and is considered a normal part of the skeleton's development. Bowed legs will usually be resolved on its own after two years of age. Dealing with joint pain can cause major disruptions to your day. Sign up and learn how to better take care of your body. Click below and just hit send! Angular deformities of the lower limb in children.
Asian J Sports Med. Infantile blount disease: a case report. Malays Fam Physician. Nutritional rickets and osteomalacia in the Twenty-first Century: Revised concepts, public health, and prevention strategies.
Sometimes, older kids do too. It's rarely serious and usually goes away without treatment, often by the time a child is 3—4 years old. Bow legs don't usually bother young children because the condition doesn't cause pain or discomfort. Parents might worry about the appearance of their child's legs, or an awkward walking pattern.
But bow legs don't affect a child's ability to crawl, walk, or run. Sometimes, kids with bow legs may walk with the toes pointed inward called intoeing, or pigeon-toes or they may trip a lot and appear clumsy. These problems generally resolve as the child grows. If the condition lasts into teenage years, it may cause discomfort in the ankles, knees, or hips. When babies are born with bow legs it's because some of the bones had to rotate twist slightly when they were growing in the womb to fit into the small space.
This is called physiologic bow legs. It's considered a normal part of a child's growth and development. As a child starts walking, the bowing might increase a bit and then get better. 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. This causes a bowing of the legs that, if it continues beyond three years of age, suggests there is a bowleg deformity. Progressive knee arthritis is common in adults who were not diagnosed or treated for bowleg earlier in life. Adult patients who have had bowleg for many years overload the inside medial compartment and stretch the outside lateral collateral ligament leading to pain, instability, and arthritis.
To prevent and delay the need for a knee replacement, an osteotomy should be performed to realign the knee. Blount's slows down bone growth at these plates or halts growth there altogether. This leads to a bowlegged appearance and may also cause knee pain or instability. The deformity occurs when the lateral outer side of the tibia continues to grow while the medial inner side of the bone does not.
Most commonly, the growth deformity is found at the top of the tibia, which is the larger of the two bones in the lower leg. Depending on the age at diagnosis, a child may have the infantile or adolescent type of this disease. Those with the infantile form of the disease are often early walkers. Adults who have not had treatment or inadequate treatment as children can present with large deformity and knee pain and degeneration.
Typically, a doctor will get the patient history, do a physical examination, and order a standing-alignment X-ray or EOS imaging of the leg bones from the hip to the ankle.
If left untreated, people who are bowlegged may experience pain, increased deformity, knee instability and progressive knee degeneration arthritis. Correction of the deformity leads to improved knee mechanics, better walking, less pain, and prevents the rapid progression of damage to the knee. Mild cases may be first carefully observed over time by a pediatric orthopedist.
Bracing may be also tried to gradually correct the leg angles. When bracing is not enough, surgery may be recommended. Physical therapy also plays an important role, especially if surgery has been performed. In a growing child, guided-growth, minimal-incision surgery may be used to encourage the limb to gradually grow straight. Photos from the front and back of a child with bowlegs due to Blount's disease. X-rays of the same child before left and after right a guided-growth surgical procedure.
0コメント