4 ways to cure bow legs - wikihow

4/4/15 4 Ways to Cure Bow Legs - wikiHow

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How to Cure Bow LegsFour Methods: General Treatment Treatment for Physiologic Genu Varum Treatment for Blount's Disease

Treatment for Rickets

Bowlegs are a fairly common deformity in toddlers and young children, but in

rare cases, they can also develop in teenagers and adults. The proper way to

cure Bowlegs will depend upon the underlying condition causing the deformity.

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Diagnose the underlying cause. The treatment for Bowlegs can vary depending on

the medical condition causing the legs to bow. Some conditions may affect other

parts of the body, so it is important to address the overall disorder instead of fixing only the

Bowlegs.

Physiologic genu verum is the most reason for Bowlegs in children under 2 years

of age. This is a normal variation in leg appearance that usually corrects itself as

the child continues to grow.

Blount's disease can cause Bowlegs in toddlers and adolescents. It occurs when

the growth plate in the upper part of the tibia develops abnormally.

Rickets is another common cause of Bowlegs in children. When children do not

get enough calcium, phosphorus, or vitamin D, bone deformities like Bowlegs can

develop.

When Bowlegs develop in adolescents and adults, they usually result from

fractures or breaks that heal improperly, lead or fluoride poisoning, obesity,

tumors, infection, or arthritis.

Treat any underlying disease. In some instances, treating the underlying disease

responsible for Bowlegs can correct the problem without further measures being

taken.

Treatment for lead poisoning usually involves the use of lead-binding medications

and injections of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, a chemical that helps correct

lead levels in the blood.[1]

Fluoride poisoning can be treated with calcium carbonate or magnesium

hydroxide, both of which bind fluoride in the stomach.[2]

Tumors can are either physically removed through surgery, treated with

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Part 1 of 4: General Treatment



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chemotherapy, or treated with radiation.

When an infection is to blame, strong antibiotics may be administered through an

IV. A brief to extended hospital stay will usually be necessary.

Lose weight. Obesity can be enough of a problem on its own to cause Bowlegs in

both children and adults. When another cause is to blame, even moderate amounts of

excess weight can worsen the problem.

When the hips and knees need to support excess amounts of upper body weight,

the joints and bones can weaken and gradually become distorted.

Your doctor may recommend weight loss surgery if you are severely overweight

and in urgent need of a solution.

In most cases, however, it is much safer and healthier to drop extra weight by

getting plenty of cardiovascular exercise and by maintaining a balanced diet filled

with conservative portions of healthy foods.

Learn about surgery. Some underlying conditions can only be fixed through surgical

correction of the leg bones. Even underlying conditions that are typically treated in

other ways may require surgery when nonsurgical methods of correction fail.

If a leg heals improperly after a fracture, break, or similar trauma, surgery is almost

always required to straighten the leg out.

The exact procedure can vary by need and by surgeon, but in most instances,

small incisions are made in the leg to provide the surgeon access to the bone. If

the natural bone cannot be straightened itself, artificial devices might be inserted

into the structure of the leg to help straighten it. Oftentimes, little to no major

scarring is left behind.[3]

Undergo physical therapy. Regardless of the treatment used, you may need to

undergo some form of physical therapy to strengthen the leg muscles once the

Bowlegs are cured. Physical therapy can make it easier to walk correctly in a shorter period

of time.

You may need in-patient physical therapy for two weeks or so after surgery is

performed.

When gradual, nonsurgical methods of correction are used, you may need to

undergo physical therapy for two to five months.

1 Wait it out. When physiologic genu varum causes Bowlegs in a toddler, the problemwill usually correct itself by the time the child is three or four years old.Your child's doctor will usually want you to schedule a check-up every six months, if

not sooner, until the bowing corrects itself.[4]

If little improvement is seen, the doctor will then determine if another cause is to

Part 2 of 4: Treatment for Physiologic Genu Varum



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blame or if surgical intervention might be needed.

Avoid leg braces and similar nonsurgical treatments. When Bowlegs are

naturally occurring like this, the use of orthopedic devices may actually hinder the

body's natural method of straightening its legs.[5]

Everyone's circumstances and needs can vary, however, so your toddler's doctor

may still recommend the use of braces or similar devices if he or she believes it to

be beneficial.

Resort to surgery only when necessary. In rare instances, the problem may not

correct itself even though no other underlying cause is behind it.

If the deformity is minor, your doctor may advise against surgery.

If the deformity is significant and causes pain, difficulty walking, or major cosmetic

concerns, you can usually resort to surgery meant to straighten the leg bone.

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Do not wait. As soon as bowed legs are diagnosed as a symptom of Blount's

disease, you should work on curing the problem.

When left untreated, leg deformities caused by this disease will usually worsen and

bowing will become more apparent. By the time a child with infantile Blount's

disease reaches adolescence, he or she will likely experience severe discomfort

or pain in the knee of the bowed leg.

Use leg braces or similar options. During a child's toddler years and early

childhood, a doctor may recommend the use of leg braces, corrective shoes, and/or

special casts.

These devices are successful for some children but may not be successful for

all.[6]

Bracing and similar methods are rarely effective for teenagers and adults with this

disease, however.

Treat with surgery if nonsurgical treatments fail. As soon as nonsurgical bracing

is deemed ineffective, a doctor will usually recommend corrective surgery to fix the

Bowlegs.

Children suffering from infantile Blount's disease should undergo surgery before

the age of four to minimize the risk of permanent growth damage.

Older children, teens, and adults are almost always treated with surgery. The

growth of the bone might be permanently affected at these stages of life, but the

legs can usually be straightened adequately nonetheless.

Part 3 of 4: Treatment for Blount's Disease



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Treat early on. When left untreated, rickets will usually cause the bowing to worsen

and become more pronounced.

As the condition continues to worsen, discomfort and pain can begin to develop in

the knee and throughout the entire leg.

Note that other skeletal deformities can develop in an individual who has rickets.

These deformities will need to be treated, too.

Fortify the leg bones with improved nutrition. Bowlegs and other effects caused

by rickets can often be managed by increasing the body's intake of calcium and

vitamin D.

In mild cases, natural sources might provide enough of these nutrients to correct

the problem. Sunlight can provide more vitamin D, as can fish, liver, and

processed milk. Most dairy products provide calcium.

In more severe cases, the doctor may prescribe special vitamin D supplements.

Too much vitamin D can be dangerous, so it is important that you follow the

doctor's instructions carefully when using these supplements.[7]

Schedule regular appointments. Throughout the treatment period, a patient

suffering from rickets should see the doctor every few months so that the doctor can

follow the progression of the disease and act accordingly.

You may also need to see a metabolic specialist for more specialized

management.

Use braces and similar orthopedic treatments.[8] While leg braces cannot cure

rickets, it can help correct Bowlegs caused by rickets in some patients.

Corrective shoes and special casts might also be used.

Note that bracing is a supplemental treatment at best. If left untreated, rickets will

only cause the bones to continue weakening and the Bowlegs will return.

Correct the problem with surgery. Nonsurgical treatments are usually successful

when treating Bowlegs caused by rickets. When Bowlegs persist or worsen even after

treating for rickets, though, surgery will be needed.

Early treatment is the best way to avoid the need for surgery. When the deformity

occurs during the developmental stage of growth and is not treated until after major

growth has stopped, surgical correction is frequently required.

Part 4 of 4: Treatment for Rickets



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1. http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/lead-

poisoning/basics/treatment/con-20035487

2. http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/814774-treatment

3. http://ladisten.com/bow-legs.shtml

4. http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=a00230

5. http://www.drgreene.com/articles/bowlegs/

6. http://www.nytimes.com/health/guides/disease/bowlegs/overview.html

7. http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-

conditions/rickets/basics/treatment/con-20027091

8. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000344.htm

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