You may have noticed that your baby has a unusual increase in distance between knees by placing the feet and ankles together. It's what is commonly called "cow boy legs," arched legs, O legs, or scientifically, knee rod.
It is a deformation of the lower limbs very common in infants that is due to the position of Buddha in which they were in the womb.
It is usually noticed more when the baby begins to stand up and take the first steps being a frequent reason for consultation with the pediatrician and more common in boys than in girls.
It is important to detect the bowing of the legs in time to differentiate if it is a normal physiological deformity that will be corrected spontaneously or if it could be due to bone disease.
Generally, the deformity begins to straighten out when the limbs begin to support the weight of the body and disappears completely by 2 and a half years or 3 years.
It is not proven that wedge or splint treatment is effective in resolving the deformity, in addition to being a nuisance to a child who begins to walk. But stretching exercises to stretch the posterior capsular oblique fibers of the knee can be beneficial.
The most advisable thing is to follow the evolution of the bow to control whether it improves or is further accentuated. When the separation between the knee exceeds 3 centimeters after 3 years of age, some bone pathology can be suspected.
