Introduction
The term bandy legs is explained by the appearance of the legs in the frontal plane, i.e. when looking from the front or from behind at the standing or lying child. Bow legs in babies are generally not a bad thing. They are part of the physiological (natural) developmental process.
In some babies the bandy legs are more pronounced than in others – nevertheless they can also grow out completely. Since there can of course always be a disease-related background to bow legs, it is important to pay attention to this during the U-examination. The task of the orthopedist or pediatrician in this case is to determine whether the course of the disease is normal or pathological. In the case of bow legs in babies that do not grow together by themselves, conservative (non-surgical) and surgical measures can be used to help. The prognosis is very good.
Definition
The medical term for bow legs is Genu varum. It describes an axial deviation of the knee from the normal (physiological) leg axis. Normally, the center of the knee joint lies exactly on a line between the center of the hip joint and the center of the ankle joint. In a baby with bow legs, the center of the knee joint no longer lies on this line, but further out (laterally). If all three center points were connected to each other, you would get an angle that would be smaller than 180° towards the inside (pointing to the other knee) – together with the other knee an “O” would be created.
Bandy legs while standing
Often parents notice their baby’s bandy legs for the first time when the child begins to stand. This is mainly due to the fact that bandy legs are particularly noticeable when the feet are held together. This is more likely to be the case when standing than when lying down.
But there is no need to worry. The bandy legs of babies are quite normal in their development and in most cases they grow together until the age of 3. Many parents fear that getting up too early or putting their baby down could put strain on the joints and lead to bow legs.
Here it is generally true that the baby’s body itself knows best when it is ready. So if the baby starts to pull itself up and stand on its own, this should not be a problem for the knees. However, parents should not put their babies on their feet too often and for too long if they have not yet tried standing on their own.
