Do Bow Legs Always Need Correction?

Not all joint deformities are created equal. Many babies have slight malformations of their arms or legs due to positioning or crowding in the womb. Before you panic, see a professional who can accurately diagnose your child’s issue and tell you if they need intervention.

At Keck Medicine of USC, Orthopaedic Surgery in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, orthopaedic and sports medicine specialist George Hatch, MD, diagnoses common childhood knee deformities like knock knees and bow legs, and creates treatment plans to get your child’s development back on track.

Causes of bow legs

The most common cause of bow legs (genu varum) is simple: legs curled in the womb adapt to the tight space and soft bones adopt a curvature. Babies who are transitioning to toddlers can even find the slight bow in their legs to be advantageous for balance, and the bones may continue to curve or curve even more for a year or two.

However, there can be more serious causes of bow legs. Blount’s disease (tibia vara) directly affects growth plates in the knee joint, and bowing won’t go away on its own. Rickets (caused by mineral and vitamin deficiencies) are rare in developed countries but can also be behind bow legs.

Whatever the cause, if you see your child’s legs are bowed and the condition doesn’t improve as they grow, Dr. Hatch can tell you whether the issue is likely to resolve or will need treatment.

Treatment for bow legs

Most cases of bow legs that show up in infants or toddlers are mild and the effects resolve on their own. If your child is over the age of 4 and still has bow legs, or develops bow legs later in adolescence, they may need specialized treatment.

Dr. Hatch can assess your child’s condition and recommend the right treatment. This can range from monitoring to splints or braces to surgical intervention if indicated to realign the knee joint and leg bones. The surgery is called knee osteotomy.

Dr. Hatch carefully reshapes the ends of the shinbone (tibia) and thigh bone (femur) where they fit into the knee joint. If your child does need this surgery to correct severe bowleggedness, it’s done while they are sleeping under anesthetic and they'll stay in the hospital for only a day or two.

Recovery from knee osteotomy only takes a few weeks. They will have supportive casts or splints, then physical therapy to strengthen the muscles and joints. After surgery their legs should continue growing straight.

Worried about your child’s bow legs? Schedule an appointment with Dr. Hatch by calling Keck Medicine of USC, Orthopaedic Surgery at 323-442-5860, or booking an appointment online today.