For many new parents, the arrival of a baby is one of the most exciting experiences in life. Watching a new baby grow and develop, especially in the first two years of life, can be a time of joy, excitement, but also frustration. It is a significant concern that many parents express during pediatric visits about internal deformity such as lower growth giving the appearance of curved legs to the child. For many children, this type of leg arch is just part of child growth and development. For others, however, the condition may indicate a significant impairment in a child’s growth and development.
As a new parent, it is important to remember that all babies are born with bow legs and appearance. Bow legs can be as late as two years of age. Often presenting a curvature in the upper and/or lower legs, bow legs, in children, result in external bending of the knees, which, if not corrected, can in some cases mean knee complications in adulthood. For this reason, when the bow leg condition persists beyond age, it is generally recommended that the child be referred to a pediatric orthopedist if the bow legs are attributed to another related childhood condition.
With an x-ray, a pediatric orthopedist mainly diagnoses a child with bowed legs, when they exhibit curvatures of both the tibia and femur. Because the condition can be associated with other health complications, when positively diagnosed, a pediatric orthopedist may require further testing. The laboratory will do common blood tests for infection, swelling and a condition known as rickets. Unfortunately, for a child suffering from rickets, the culprit may be an insufficient intake of vitamin D and calcium. When these severe nutritional deficiencies occur early in life, the baby’s bone structure cannot develop sufficiently to gain weight thereby leading to a condition known as bow-legged rickets.
Treating a child with bow legs often requires the use of braces. While some pediatric orthopedists may recommend a conservative approach through delayed walking and also measures to prevent the child from standing on both feet it will be more useful to use trimming. In the process of including children’s legs are measured and clamped, which is custom made in the stature of the child. The braces are then applied for various time intervals, each day, based on the recommendation of the pediatric orthopedist. For children diagnosed with rickets induced by bow legs, including vitamin supplements D and calcium will be required. With timely intervention, the child’s arch and feet will most likely heal their condition without significant intervention.
As parents, proper nutritional care and proper medical care for a new child is vitally important. When arched feet are a significant issue, in a child under three, consult a pediatric orthopedist about remedies to pursue in an attempt to correct the bowed effect. Proper early intervention will provide for a more successful and healthy growth and development period for the child.
