Knock Knees In Children

knock knees
Knock knees (genu valgum) is a condition in which the knees tilt inward while the ankles remain spaced apart.
When should parents be concerned about knock knees?
If your child has knock knees along with any of the following symptoms, they may have a more serious condition:
• Knock knees that become apparent before age 2 or after age 7 years
• Knock knees that become worse after age 7 years
• Asymmetric appearance of the legs
• Limp when walking
• Knee or hip pain
• Short stature (below the fifth percentile)
• What causes knock knees?
• Many children develop knock knees during early childhood and will improve when child grows
• Genetic conditions such as skeletal dysplasia or metabolic bone disease such as rickets -Vitamin-D can cause knock knees.
• Obesity can contribute to knock knees
• An injury to the growth area of the shinbone (tibia) or thighbone (femur) may result in just one inward-tilting knee.
Non-surgical options for knock knees-
If your child has severe, unresolved knock knees, their doctor will first determine if this is part of another underlying condition. If so, treatment will focus on treating the underlying condition. For example, many cases of rickets can be treated with vitamin D and calcium supplementation.
Surgical options for knock knees
In the rare event that natural growth doesn't correct your child's knock knees, their doctor may recommend surgery.
Growth modulation surgery
Guided growth surgery corrects knock knees by slowing the growth on the bent side of the bone so the other side can catch up. The surgeon implants small metal devices on the inner side of the growth plates around the knees. The outer side of the knees will continue to grow, causing the legs to grow straighter.
Children usually have guided growth surgery when they're approaching puberty, before their adolescent growth spurt. This is usually around age 11 for girls and 13 for boys.
Guided growth surgery is an outpatient procedure. Children can bear weight on their legs immediately and return to activity within a few weeks after the procedure.
Osteotomy surgery
Osteotomy surgery can correct more severe deformities or knock knees that do not get better on their own by the time a child has finished growing. The goal of this procedure is to straighten the legs by changing the angle of the bones. A surgeon does this by cutting and realigning the bone around knee
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