Foot O or bowlegs is a condition when the legs appear to be curved outward so that it resembles the letter O when standing. This condition is quite common in children and usually gets better on its own. However, foot O needs to be treated if it is causing the child to have difficulty standing or walking.
Foot condition O, or medically called genu varum, is a condition that often occurs in infants and toddlers. Generally, O-foot is not dangerous and does not require treatment because it can improve after the child reaches the age of 12-18 months.
However, the condition of O-leg sometimes needs to be watched out for and checked by a doctor if it causes pain in the child, makes the child look weak and limp, causes the leg to bend because it only occurs in one leg, and does not improve after the child reaches the age of 2 years.
Such O-legs can be caused by disease or health problems in the child's legs.
Various Causes of O Feet
There are several things that can cause a child to experience foot O, including:
1. Blount's Disease
One of the causes of prolonged O-foot conditions in toddlers is Blount's disease, which is a growth abnormality in the bones of the child's limbs. This disease usually makes the child's legs appear bent.
Blount disease can be detected since infancy or childhood, but sometimes there are also new ones detected when the sufferer is a teenager. Over time, this disease can cause problems with the knee joint of the sufferer.
One of the risk factors that cause children to experience Blount disease is because the learning process is too early. Ideally, a child should start walking alone between 11–14 months of age. The risk of developing this disease also increases in obese children.
2. Rickets
Rickets is a disease of the bones that occurs as a result of a prolonged deficiency or deficiency of vitamin D. Rickets can cause the sufferer's bones to become weak and make the lower legs appear bent, so that the legs look like an O shape.
3. Paget's disease
The disease caused by this metabolic disorder makes the child's bones unable to grow normally. As a result, the child's bone strength becomes weak. In addition to causing foot O, Paget's disease can also cause abnormalities in the joints.
4. Dwarfism
Dwarfism is a growth disorder of body tissue that makes the sufferer appear short. Dwarfism can cause a child's bones to develop a disorder called achondroplasia, resulting in O-legs.
In addition to the above conditions, foot O can also be caused by a variety of other things, including abnormal bone development, fractures that don't heal properly, and chemical poisoning, such as lead or fluoride.
Steps for Handling Foot O in Children
O-leg usually heals on its own by the time the child is 2 years old or older. However, if O's foot does not improve, this condition needs to be checked by a doctor.
To determine the diagnosis of foot O and find out the cause, the doctor can perform a physical examination and supporting examinations, such as blood tests and X-rays of the child's legs and feet.
After the cause of foot O in children is known, the doctor will provide treatment. As previously explained, O-legs generally do not require special handling.
O-foot treatment usually only needs to be done if the O-foot is severe or looks extreme and makes the child look in pain and have difficulty walking or standing.
To treat the O-leg, the doctor can do the following:
- Use of special shoes
- Use of skeleton support tools (bracess/casts)
- Surgery to improve the shape of the bones of the legs and feet
If there are special conditions that underlie the occurrence of O-legs, these conditions are also treated so that recovery runs optimally, while preventing O-legs from reappearing.
Preventing O-Legs in Children
There are several steps that can be taken to prevent children from foot O, namely:
Meet the needs of vitamin D
Adequate sun exposure or vitamin D supplementation can prevent O-foot caused by rickets.
In addition, the doctor may also advise children to get vitamin D intake from various types of foods, such as fish, liver, and milk and processed products such as cheese and yogurt.
Maintain weight
Blount's disease is more likely to occur in children who are overweight or obese. Therefore, the child's weight needs to be maintained and continuously monitored so that it is within its normal range. Try not to lose weight, but not too much or even obesity so that he doesn't have O-legs.
O-shaped feet in infants and toddlers are generally things that can still be considered normal. However, to ensure their condition, babies and children still need to be checked by a doctor.
If your child's O-foot does not improve, especially if it is causing him difficulty walking, standing, or appears to be in pain, it is best if the condition is checked by a doctor so that it can be treated appropriately.