What causes bowleggedness?
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Your question:
My baby is 11 weeks old and can easily bear her own weight on her legs if I hold her under her arms. Will this cause her to be bowlegged?
The doctor answers:
Generally speaking, bowleggedness is not caused by how a baby is held or by any exercise that your infant might perform. Many of the angular changes of the legs are due to the "folded-up position" inside the uterus in which the baby is confined during pregnancy.
Additionally it is common for "knock-knees" to be seen between ages two and four years. Fortunately both the common bowlegs and subsequent knock-knees resolve without special intervention. Orthopedists who specialize in children's bone disease know this, and the use of night-bars, braces, etc. has vastly diminished, except for very special circumstances.
Parents should know that the type of shoe is also unimportant for the normal growth and development of the legs. I recommend that parents provide footwear that is well fitted, with a flexible sole, allowing the child to learn to walk with the least hindrance.
About the author: Michael F. Wasserman, MD is a pediatrician with 21 years of experience at Ochsner Clinic Foundation in New Orleans. A native New Orleanian, he was educated at Cornell University, Tulane University School of Medicine and Vanderbilt University Hospital. He is board certified in pediatrics and is a member of numerous professional societies. He is a regular on the WWL-TV Channel 4 Morning News with Sally Ann Roberts and Eric Paulsen, answering viewer calls on Tuesday mornings. Dr Wasserman enjoys seeing children of all ages, ranging from the care of newborns to adolescents. Trained as a general pediatrician, his areas of special interest include middle ear disease and asthma.
