Medical: Genu varum
Definition
The bow legs are among the axis malpositions. These are deviations from the normal axis. Bow legs are characterized by the fact that the axial deviation of the legs is directed laterally outwards.
When viewed from the front, the deformity gives the impression of an “O”. The bow-leg in infants and newborns is part of normal development. If the body does not straighten up in the following developmental period, the O-shaped legs also remain. However, there is a high rate of spontaneous correction in infant bow legs.
Causes
Bow legs can be both congenital (see above) and acquired. At the beginning of each life (until the end of the 2nd year of life) bow legs are completely normal. Naturally, all infants and toddlers have bow legs (Genu varum).
However, these recede at the latest in the course of the third year of life and are even tilted to the other extreme for some time in the course of natural skeletal development, to knock-knees (Genu valgum). In the case of unphysiological knock-knees, an operation must be performed. From about the age of 10 years on, the normal leg axis is developed as far as possible in a completely straightened manner.
Bow legs are also a symptom of congenital connective tissue weaknesses or systemic diseases. 1. acquired bow legs can be symptoms of various basic diseases: If already in the childhood strong bandy legs appear, which also still persist, then Rachitis is to be found frequently as cause. Rickets is a disorder of bone growth caused by a lack of vitamin D and calcium.
This leads to poor bone mineralization, the growth joints are restructured and the long tubular bones are deformed. In industrialized countries a supply of the most important minerals is usually guaranteed, so that a balanced diet with lots of fruit and vegetables, as well as healthy oils (cold-pressed linseed oil, olive oil) does not lead to a deficiency in children. In addition, a moderate stay in the sun (attention, avoid sunburn at all costs!)
promotes an adequate supply of vitamin D. Bone diseases other than rickets can also lead to bow legs. Possible causes are achondroplasia, osteogenesis imperfecta, but also tumors or accidents (trauma). Especially when the growth joints of the bones are affected by these influences, a shift in growth can occur, which causes the axis to become “crooked”.
- Rickets (vitamin D deficiency)
- Hormone Disorders
- Bone fragility (osteoporosis) after menopause
- Overload (for example due to overweight)
- Inflammations
- Tumor
- Trauma (e.g. bone fractures)
2. bow legs can also occur in paralysis, if the direction of growth is changed by an asymmetrical muscle pull. 3. it is also possible that bow legs are completely congenital and also one-sided training in adulthood can still cause a subsequent malposition of the leg axis and thus lead to bow legs. Some sports favour the development of bow legs.
These are mainly sports in which the muscle group of the so-called adductors on the inner side of the thigh is put under greater strain during training and is therefore trained more than the external abductors. The best known example of this is soccer. Paralysis, which then leads to muscular imbalance, can also cause the development of bow legs.
