YOUR CHILD’S HEALTH/BONE AND JOINT DISORDERS: BOW LEGS AND DISLOCATION OF A JOINT
BOW LEGS
Young babies commonly have marked bowing of their legs, especially if they are of a rather sturdy build. When the child stands with his feet together, the ankles touch but the knees are separated. This is considered to be a normal variant, caused by poor alignment of the bones of the thighs and legs during growth. Most children have bow legs to some extent in infancy and this becomes more noticeable when they start to walk. The legs usually gain realignment by the time the child starts school, and no treatment is required. If the bowing does not improve after this age, night splints may be considered where the bowing is severe.
DISLOCATION OF A JOINT
Many joints in the body are of the ball-and-socket type. When these become dislodged from each other, as a result of injury, we call this a dislocation.
Clinical features
The pain after dislocation is usually similar to that of a fracture. There is marked pain and swelling over the area of injury and deformity is usually obvious.
The diagnosis should always be confirmed on X-ray. Sometimes a fracture will also be present. If the dislocation has to be manipulated back into place, a follow-up X-ray will be necessary.
Treatment
Under an anaesthetic, the bone is manipulated back into place. A sling is usually worn for several weeks.
Complications
If the tendons or ligaments that surround the joint are badly damaged, the dislocation may recur. A paediatric orthopaedic surgeon should be consulted if this occurs.
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