Don't worry if your child has bent legs. Correcting them in time will help

It is a very common phenomenon for children to have bowed knees, but parents are very troubled and worried when they see their children like this. In fact, children's legs will have different curvatures at different ages, from "O-shaped legs" to "X-shaped legs". This is a normal physiological phenomenon. Parents do not need to excessively supplement calcium. As long as they look at the problem correctly and correct it in time, the problem will be solved.

1. Most babies’ calves are bent inwards.

To distinguish between normal and abnormal, we should first understand the normal process of children's lower limb development.

Before birth, the fetus is flexed in the narrow space of the uterus, and the lower limbs, especially the calves, are quite bent inward. Therefore, in most cases, the calves of newborn babies are bent inward and internally rotated. New parents often feel confused about this, mistakenly think it is abnormal, and request treatment, which is really unnecessary.

2. When learning to walk, the "O" shape of the legs will become more obvious

This inward bending of the knee becomes more pronounced as the child begins to walk.

The children were on their feet, most with their feet turned pigeon-toed, making it look as if the ball could pass through their legs. In fact, when children are asked to lie down for examination, their lower limbs on both sides still appear bent, and the "O"-shaped legs are particularly obvious when they walk.

This period is also when parents often bring their children for consultation.

In fact, inward curvature around the age of 1 and a half is a normal physiological phenomenon.

The knees begin to valgus when the child is about 2 years old.

When the child is close to two years old, the lower limbs gradually straighten up, and then the knees begin to turn outward. The bones on the inside of the knees appear particularly protruding, which is especially obvious in tall and thin children.

The "X" legs are most serious at the age of 3

At the age of 3, this "X"-shaped leg reaches its most serious degree. When standing, if the knees are close together, the feet will be apart and cannot be closed. The more advanced ones will run very unsightly, with their knees colliding with each other and causing them to trip.

During this stage, quite a few children are brought to see orthopedic surgeons. Parents are worried that if their appearance is not improved in the future, it will be difficult for them to join the army because they may not even be able to stand at attention properly!

It will get better after 4-5 years old

Fortunately, this condition will improve after the age of 4-5, and as the baby grows, it will become slightly curved outward like an adult.

So, physiologically, a child's knee will go through the normal process of varus, straight, valgus, and slightly valgus.

3. Your legs are bent more than others because your ligaments are loose.

Why do some children have more bent legs than others? Most of these can be said to be normal differences, just like a person's height and weight are not the same for everyone. The second is ligament relaxation.

We know that the ligaments of newborn babies are very loose, so they can easily put their toes in their mouths, bend their big toes to touch their forearms, or bend their fingers back to be parallel to their forearms. When lying down, the feet appear to be quite straight and have an arch, but when standing, the knees bend inward or backward, and flat feet appear. The "O"-shaped legs are more obvious when walking.

A detailed examination of children around 3 years old with "X" shaped legs can also reveal that their ligaments are slightly looser than those of people with straight legs.

Ligament relaxation is generally a physical condition and will improve with growth. By adulthood, only about 4%-7% of people still have ligament relaxation, which we can see from the simple tests mentioned above.

Moreover, some ligament relaxation is hereditary, and it is more difficult to improve for this group of people.

4. Wearing diapers is unfair. Don’t learn to walk too early.

Some people blame children's bowed knees on wearing diapers or learning to walk too early. We believe that wearing diapers has nothing to do with it, but learning to walk too early is not something to be encouraged or proud of.

People who worry about knee bends mostly consider it as an aesthetic issue, but from a biomechanical point of view, if knee bends persist into adulthood, it can lead to knee arthritis due to uneven force.

Generally speaking, we do not encourage children to learn to walk too early or to eat too much, because once the child has learned to walk, it cannot be stopped.

For most of those who are still within the normal range, we can simply explain them based on developmental evolution.

Ligament relaxation: Get more sun and do outdoor activities

For those with looser ligaments, it is best to encourage them to get more sun exposure, do more outdoor activities and eat a normal diet. As long as the muscles and ligaments are strong, the legs will naturally straighten up.

5. Do braces or corrective shoes work? God knows!

Some parents, out of excessive worry, insist on ordering custom-made braces or corrective shoes, as it often takes more than one or two years for the treatment to show results. Not only do both the child and the adult suffer, but the child cannot enjoy a happy childhood.

In fact, the legs became straighter, but was it really due to the brace or the corrective shoes? God knows! Many children also refuse to wear bulky braces, so their parents' money is wasted.

6. Don’t have too much hope for calcium supplements

As for whether these children need calcium supplements or other nutritional products, since the cause of the disease is not calcium deficiency, there is no special effect.

But we are not against giving these things to children. At least it is beneficial and harmless. Just don't have too high hopes.

Most cases of knee sprains do not require special treatment

In short, most cases of bowed legs occur during the development process and are within the "normal range" and are physiological phenomena. No special treatment is required and they will get better naturally as the child grows.

Some people with loose ligaments still have some degree of bending, but it is not a big deal. The most important thing is to distinguish between normal and pathological conditions, identify the underlying diseases of bow legs, and treat individual diseases in a timely manner to avoid affecting the appearance in the future or causing knee arthritis.