Bow Legged

I searched for pictures of before and after the bow legs correction surgery. I found this websites very informative: http://www.doctorveklich.com/patients.htm.
I must say that these pictures (and information from the site) makes me really consider the bow legs surgery option… It doesn’t look too painful, and seems like the results are good too.

I’m usually talking about adults with bow legs, but today I’ve decided to write about children with bow legs. I think that if parents would have paid more attention to their child’s bow legs, in many cases this deformity could have been treated.

I’ve searched the web looking for information regarding bow legs. It seems that all (or almost all) children are born with bow legs (Genu Varum), and as they grow the legs get straiten (when the child is about 3 years old.)

In some cases the bow legs shape persists. A possible cause is if the child is sick or suffers from a condition that makes the bones soft and therefore the legs stay bowed, such as rickets (but since I’m not a doctor, I really recommend going to the doctor to check this.)

When I five years old I walked with my feet pointing in. My parents took me to the Doctor (orthopedist) who gave me shoes that were connected by an iron brace to wear at night. He thought it was too late to fix the shape of the legs, but this could change the way I stand. I think that overall this helped my posture, as I no longer stand with my feet pointing in.
I’ve been told that the solution to “permanent” bow legs for kids back when I was a child was to put a cast on the child’s legs to straiten them. I don’t know if today they are using the same methods, or if it works.

Bow legs might be very frustrating when you are older and start noticing them, so if this could be treated in small children, why not give it a try?

After searching for information on the web regarding adults’ o legs treatment, these are the conclusions I came up with:

Usually a treatment is not required for adults with o legs. In severe cases a surgery is the solution.

Exercises can help make the legs look better (like it helps anyone else without this problem), but they won’t change the bow shape and they won’t “fix” the o legs.

There are o legs supporters/o legs bands that are claimed to help this situation, but I never checked these products and never seen any reviews on them (I’ll update this post with a link once I find where to get them.)

There are also High-Sandals for Bowlegs.

I recommend that you consult your doctor if you want to find the most reliable information and the best treatment for you.