Early life niggles usually fade out
COMMON ORTHOPAEDIC CONDITIONS SUCH AS BOW LEGS AND KNOCK KNEES IN CHILDREN CORRECT THEMSELVES WITH AGE: EXPERTS
Common orthopaedic conditions such as bow legs and knock knees correct themselves with age — experts
Common orthopaedic conditions in children should not be a concern to parents unless they begin to deteriorate or affect the child’s comfort and activity level after a certain age, orthopaedic specialists in the UAE said.
Conditions such as in-toes, flat feet, bow legs and knock knees can manifest in many infants and small children and can affect the shape of their legs and feet. Many parents are understandably anxious about these conditions as they are perceived as deformities.
Medical experts, however, reassure worried parents that these physiological appearances in children are quite common and are non-threatening conditions that the children will eventually outgrow.
“In most cases, these conditions are not serious health concerns but a part of the [skeletal] development of a child, which they will eventually outgrow,” said Dr Preethamraj Vittal Salian, specialist in orthopaedics, Aster Clinic, Dubai Silicon Oasis.
He comes across these cases frequently, he says, but has mostly reassured parents that they do not require treatment.
As the name of the condition suggests, in-toeing, which is the pointing of toes inward, is one of the extremely common conditions found in babies and young children, according to Dr Salian, and it is most commonly observed in children below two years of age. In-toeing can be diagnosed without the need of an X-ray or scan.
“Children are born with intoeing based on the way they are curled up in the womb, so there is nothing to worry about if parents notice their child walking slightly differently.
“Once the child starts walking and running in the first year, the condition improves.”
However, Dr Salian pointed out that parents would still need to keep a watch on the improvement being made.
“A child below the age of eight does not require treatment, but when the child begins to experience pain or discomfort, which occurs in rare cases, special braces, casts or corrective behaviour mechanisms might be required. If it persists till the age of 10, surgical intervention might be required.”
Knock knees
In their first year of life, almost all children are bow-legged or knock-kneed, according to doctors.
“These conditions become noticeable once the child begins standing or walking. Normally, the legs tend to get corrected within a maximum of three to four years without any treatment,” said Dr Salian.
Observation while allowing time for the legs to get corrected with age is the only treatment, he added.
A few signs to keep note of, according to Dr Salian, in order to understand if these conditions are indicative of a serious underlying condition are if only one side of the leg is affected, if there is an extreme curve inward or outward, or if bow legs and knock knees persist after two and seven years of age, respectively.
Dr Zaid Al Aubaidi, consultant paediatric orthopaedic and paediatric spine surgeon, says he consults cases like these several times a week and sometimes refers to them as “worried parent syndrome”.
“We call these non-disease or non-concerning conditions in children,” he said.
Flat feet
Flat feet are yet another condition in children, where the child’s foot sits flat on the ground when they stand and the curve in the middle disappears, according to specialists.
Dr Salian says this is the only condition that doesn’t correct itself with time but does not require treatment unless it results in pain or decreased movement or abilities. “Most of the time, people develop arches on their feet during childhood but in some cases they don’t at all and they just live with it.”
Both doctors emphasised the need for parents to track the child’s condition to see if it is progressing or deteriorating.
“If parents observe any severity in these conditions, they must consult a specialist” said Dr Salian.