The condition known in medical circles as Genu Varum is also more commonly called bow legs, bandy legs or being bow legged. This condition is a physical deformity that causes a bowing outward of the lower legs, which creates the appearance of an archer’ bow in one or both legs.
Actually, most babies are born with bow legs because of their rather cramped environment in the uterus. By their first year, the condition tends to disappear shortly after the child begins walking, however for some people the condition of being bow legged either persists or it develops later on in life.
What follows are a few of the causes of bow legs.
Do you have family members such as one of your parents, grandparents or other close family member who is bow legged? Often bow legs run in families and can be inheritable. If so, then that is where you got it from.
Do you play football (soccer) a great deal or have been doing a lot of horse riding when you grew up? Then this may contribute to developing bow legs over time. There are studies which show the prevalence of bow legs in people playing certain sports, such as the types just mentioned. It is suspected that the type of specific training the leg muscles undergo plays a vital role.
This is because the outer leg muscles are exercised more strongly than the inner leg muscles which results in a bowing out effect. In adults, one of the most common issues is the loss of the cartilage on the inner part of the knee. Over time, this condition continues to get worse as arthritis may develop in the joint.
However, this doesn’t mean that you should give up soccer or horseback riding, but make sure you train your legs properly and use exercises that can work both the inner and outer leg muscles effectively.
If your bow legged condition was not caused by genetics or playing specific sports, there are a number of other potential causes.
This is a medical condition that affects the growth of the bones, in particular the shin bone which can lead to being bow legged. Blount’s Disease develops during the toddler to adolescent stages but may be difficult to diagnose in children under the age of two. It is usually when no improvement is seen in the legs that Blount’s Disease is recognized, which is generally when the child reaches three years of age. The good news is that once the condition is recognized, it can be treated by using leg braces or surgery in some cases.
The lack of Vitamin D can develop bow legs in toddlers as well. This disorder known as Rickets that is very rare in developed countries can be treated by introducing Vitamin D and other measures depending on the severity of the condition and the weakness of the bones.
Having bow legs is fairly common and nothing to be ashamed about. For most people having bow legs will not affect their daily lives and it can be treated successfully depending on the causes.
|International size||Manufacture||Jeans size||Waist measurement (inch)||Hip measurement (inch)|
|XXS||32||24 - 25||24 - 24.8||32.7 - 33.5|
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|L||40||31||28.3 - 29.5||39.8 - 40.9|
|XL||42||32||29.9 - 31.1||41.3 - 42.1|
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