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Bowlegs

Definition:
Bowlegs is a condition observed when a person stands with the feet and ankles together, but the knees remain widely apart.

Alternative Names:
Genu varum

Causes, incidence, and risk factors:

Infants are born bowlegged because of their folded position in the uterus. The infant's bowed legs begin to straighten once the child starts to walk and the legs begin to bear weight (about 12 to 18 months old).

Normal appearance is usually attained by the time the child is three years old. At this time, a child can usually stand with the ankles together and the knees just touch. If the bowed legs persist into this period, the child is called bowlegged.

Severely bowed legs can be a sign of rickets. Rickets is caused by a vitamin D deficiency, and in the United States breast-fed infants with dark skin are most at risk. Other causes of bowleggedness include Blount's disease, bone dysplasias, and lead or fluoride intoxication.



Review Date: 12/22/2002
Reviewed By: Philip L. Graham III, M.D., F.A.A.P., Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of New York, Columbia University, New York, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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