Risks of surgery for bow legs | OP for bow legs

Risks of surgery for bow legs

It should be emphasized that with the current state of technology, the occurrence of complications has become very rare. From a purely theoretical point of view, it is possible that, contrary to expectations, bone healing may not occur or may occur insufficiently and that bone healing may be inadequate. As a result, the bone is fragile and unstable and walking without crutches is not possible.

Only a new operation can remedy this. Poor bone healing can also result in loss of correction. Bone ulceration could also occur, but this has been extremely rare so far.

Furthermore, it is possible that small nerves or vessels are injured during the operation. A disadvantage of the operation on bow legs is that a relatively extensive aftercare is necessary. It should also be noted that the operation cannot cure or prevent knee osteoarthritis definitively, but merely delays its development for a long time.

For this reason, the operation is no longer useful for patients over 70 years of age. What other treatment options are available? You can find out under: Therapy of bow legs

What kind of follow-up treatment is necessary for bow legs?

Immediately after the operation, pain is to be expected, but this can be treated well during the inpatient stay. While after that there is usually no more pain in the knees. Theoretically, however, it is possible that patients may complain of persistent pain that is due to the operation but not from the knees. This is based on a complicated neurological process in the pain pathway, which can occur in all types of surgery.

Will scars remain after the surgery?

As usual with all operations, the bow-leg operation leaves scars on the knee and the inner side of the lower leg. The scars are signs of successful wound healing and can be more or less pronounced. If the healing process is successful, the scars can adapt to the surrounding skin over time and become hardly noticeable. If the scar is very disturbing, there is the possibility to correct the scars aesthetically either surgically or without surgery.