You may feel worried when you see your little one's legs look crooked when he starts learning to stand and walk. Crooked baby legs are actually common and not always dangerous. However, sometimes this condition can be caused by congenital abnormalities or problems with the baby's leg bones.
One of the myths in society says that the baby's legs are bent because the baby is not swaddled since birth. In fact, all babies are born with slightly bent knees or legs because their legs are bent a lot while in the womb.
Conditions of the crooked leg are normal
There are at least 4 types of bent baby legs that are normal, namely:
1. Legs in the shape of the letter O
O-shaped foot or genu varum (bowlegs) occurs when the ankles touch, but the knees are wide apart. This condition is quite often experienced by infants or toddlers under the age of 18 months. Usually, the shape of the foot like this will correct or straighten itself by the time the child is 3-7 years old.
2. Legs in the shape of the letter X
The X-shaped foot or genu valgum is the opposite of the O-shaped foot. This foot condition is characterized by the knees touching, while the ankles are spread apart or away from each other.
X-shaped bent legs tend to occur when a child is about 4 years old and will usually straighten themselves by 6 or 7 years of age.
3. In-toeing or pigeon toes
Normally, baby's toes are straight forward when standing or walking. However, in the condition in-toeing, the baby's toes bend inward.
Most of the baby's legs bent like this can straighten back at the age of 8 years, without any treatment at all. However, if it does not improve on its own after that age, in-toeing need to get treatment from a doctor.
4. Out-toeing
The opposite of in-toeing is out-toeing, namely the fingers or soles of the feet bend outward. In most cases, this bent baby's legs also do not require any treatment to become straight again.
However, the condition out-toeing need to be treated by a doctor if it does not improve as the child ages. This is because this condition can be caused by abnormalities in the hip joint, femur, or leg bones, as well as cerebral palsy.
Crooked Baby Legs Conditions That Are Considered to Be a Serious Problem
The four bent leg conditions above are normal for babies or children. However, this condition can also be a sign of serious health problems experienced by the baby.
Some conditions to watch out for when a baby has crooked legs are:
- Baby's legs stay bent until 3 years old
- Unsymmetrical bent condition on both legs
- Baby or child looks limp or complains of pain when walking
- Crooked legs don't go straight and instead become more crooked with age
- Babies or children are more dominant using one foot
- Bent knees or legs accompanied by a child's short posture
- The shape of the child's feet is flat or even too curved
These conditions may be caused by genetic disorders, such as osteogenesis imperfecta, disorders of the baby's bones, such as rickets, Blount's disease, congenital bone defects, infection, obesity, or injury to the bones of the baby's legs.
There are some crooked baby legs that can heal on their own. However, be aware if the baby or child's legs still look bent when he is more than 3 years old or accompanied by various signs above.
To determine the cause and how to treat it, crooked legs in children need to be examined by an orthopedic specialist.
To assess the child's condition, the doctor can perform a physical examination and support, such as X-rays of the legs and hips. After the diagnosis is known, the doctor can only determine the right treatment to treat crooked legs in babies.