Beautiful, straight legs and feet are essential for a good appearance. But it is also important for health to take good care of your feet and legs. Parents can save their children a lot by paying attention to proper footwear and a healthy diet at a young age.
The development of healthy legs begins in infancy
While we are still kicking in our mother’s belly, our legs are bent and we are born with bow legs. This is quite normal and no mother should worry if her baby will later walk like John Wayne because of it. The correct posture of a newborn baby reminds us of a little frog. This is due to the fact that the hip joints are not yet directed to the side as in an adult, but more to the front. Therefore, the ideal position for healthy development is a kind of squatting posture in which the legs are held at a 90-degree angle. If you look closely, you can observe this leg position in infants who are carried on their hips by their mothers. The heads of the thighs lie optimally in the sockets. A sling can be a sensible solution here. However, it must be properly fitted and neither mother nor child must be harmed by incorrect carrying techniques. To prevent hip joint damage such as hip dysplasia, the baby’s legs must not simply hang limply downward, otherwise the thighs may be forced out of their sockets.
First steps in life
So the first steps we take are on our bowlegs. This is advantageous because the gait becomes so stable and we are more likely to find our balance in the wide gait. At the latest at the age of three, however, the picture changes. Children at this age have knock-knees, which should have grown together by the time they are ready for school. The impression that toddlers have flat feet is also quite often deceptive. It is rather a fat pad in the metatarsal area that gives this impression. But even these fat pads soon disappear, leaving a nice, slightly curved arch in almost all cases.
Early detection of maldevelopments
If parents are unsure whether their child does not suffer from a leg deformity that goes beyond the normal level, it is often worthwhile, in addition to a visit to the pediatrician, to go to an orthopedist who specializes in children. Important signs of a deformity requiring treatment can be the distance between the knees or the ankles when the legs are closed. In the first grader – depending on whether bow-leg or knock-kneed is suspected – less than ten centimeters of distance should be measured at these points.
Vitamin D against bow legs
Extreme bow legs are very rare in our society. In earlier times, they were often the result of a lack of vitamin D. It is true that our organism can produce this vitamin itself in sufficient quantities with the help of solar radiation. However, we live in an area with relatively little sunshine, so that our babies often only come outdoors wrapped up in thick clothing and therefore get relatively little sun. Often, therefore, the missing vitamin is given as a dietary supplement, usually in combination with fluoride, to support tooth development.
Sick feet due to incorrect footwear
Only 20 percent of all foot deformities are congenital. Many forms are consequences of incorrect footwear, incorrect loads in everyday life, nerve diseases or arise due to other causes such as rheumatism, arthritis or due to accidents. The flat foot, in which the arch of the foot is sunken, is caused in many cases by weak connective tissue. Other foot deformities are for example the bent foot, flat foot, splay foot and many more. The range of possible deformities is wide. No wonder that this field could develop into a specialty in medicine. Women in particular torture their feet and legs with fancy but highly unhealthy footwear. The big toe is squeezed inward by pointed shoe ends, high heels prevent the normal rolling of the foot. The foot muscles atrophy and can no longer adequately support the arch of the foot. A healthy foot can become diseased in this way.
Freedom of movement is important!
Already for children’s feet applies: barefoot is healthy, shoes must support the foot, but not constrict. And what is right for children also applies to the adult. Surely there is nothing wrong with chic, high pumps now and then.But every day and over long distances, such shoes damage the feet and can cause conditions such as hallux valgus. Permanent pain due to bursitis and callus formation are the result. Parents should set an example for their children. After all, even for the youngest children, it is better to wear non-slip socks indoors than tight shoes.
