[maxkinzie]

Hi,
DH called my attention to DD's little legs tonite, well not that little...
now it's got me wondering... her knees are big, some baby fat, but bones are big too. When she simply stands, her thighs are together, and her knees, then her legs separate a few inches by the ankle. Doesnt' look right, but not something I've ever spent time noticing.

His thing is that if it needs correction, we should look at it asap, that I agree with.

She's extremely active, doesn't seem to bother her at all!

any thoughts?
thanks!

[court5505]

Without seeing them, it's hard to tell, but it sounds like she just has chunky little legs! My DD also has chunky legs...she has "cankles"!!!

Can you take a picture for us? Are you going to the doctor anytime soon that you could mention it? It doesn't sound like it's worth a special trip unless you are really worried about it.

[HansenFamAZ]

Do you mean her shins bow out? My husband was in grad school when our oldest was a toddler. We happened to be in an apartment complex full of students from a near by podiatry school. The husbands of my friends were freaking me out that something was wrong because she was about 18 months old a quite bow legged.

I took her to see her pediatrician and she told me that she would probably grow out of it and her opinion is to take no action in these cases because they usually naturally grow out of them and she refuses to put them in corrective braces, etc. If in a few years it was still the same, then they would take action.

She grew out of it with in a year or so. It's just how her legs were. It wasn't because of baby fat either, she was a skinny bird!

So go see her dr. and don't stress. Its probably totally normal. And IF the doctor thinks there is something wrong and wants to take corrective action, get a second and third opinion before you do anything. =) JMTC

[bajj]

I am not a doctor, but I would guess it's just the baby fat. However, if you are truly concerned, take her to her pediatrician and find out if anything is wrong.

It sounds like it isn't slowing her down any, which is good.

[LoveBeingaMom]

My bson's legs are quite bowed in the lower legs and ankles. We were worried about it (still watching with concern) and the pediatrician said that he should out grow it but we insisted on being referred to a specialist, who said the same thing but set up an appointment for him to come back at 12 mos to be sure. This was reassuring to us because he took us seriously, didn't think it was a big deal but cared enough to keep an eye on it. However, the pediatrician had also told us not to worry about the shape of bson's head (something that DH was very concerned about), that it was from positioning, but the specialist told us we were right to be concerned, did x-rays and said if it did not correct by the next appointment, he would look into it further.

I agree with talking to the pediatrician but remember a pediatrician is a general practice kind of doctor, just with kids. Most of what they see is normal, so they aren't expecting and often don't take seriously concerns that something might be wrong. We love our pediatrician, but I am not the type to simply accept what a pediatrician says when it comes to my kids, just becuase he/she is a doctor.

If this is a minor worry and all you need is a dr to tell you everything is fine, great. But if you or your DH really feel that her legs are an issue insist on seeing someone who specializes in pediatric orthopedics. You wouldn't have a house painter paint your portrait.

[sunnyandi13]

Hmm... I wonder if she's knock-kneed? I have this and it is just like you describe. I know others have said "bow legged", but usually bowed means the legs touch at the thighs and ankles but not knees. When it touches at thighs and knees but not ankles, that is knock-kneed. Both are actually a slight defect that can cause chronic knee pain and leaves you more susceptible to osteoarthritis. When I stand, my thighs are nearly touching, my knees touch completely and the closest I can pull my ankles is about 3" apart. Does she have a "rolling" gait when she walks fast (not running), as the hips tend to roll a little more in knock-kneed persons. It is also more common in females than males.

Do bring this up to your pediatrician at the next visit. Mine was so severe as a child that I did wear braces for a while to try and correct the alignment of the leg bones. I was active as a child and still am (walk/bike for excercise, play softball on a team, etc.) But I have had a lifetime of knee problems (including three surgeries, starting at 16), as the bones don't align correctly and it wears much harder on the joints. I do have chronic pain, but have learned to manage it and rarely allow it to interfere with my life (unless you count not doing things like skating, skiing, jogging, etc. which are high stress on the knees to begin with). While it's not something to really stress out about yet, it would certainly be worth mentioning just so you're sure there's no major problems that might cause her pain later in life.