10 Nov 🥴Have you noticed that your child walks awkwardly with their knees knocked and feet turned in? 😬Is your child tripping and falling constantly when running?
🦵Normal leg bone alignment in children generally follows a typical progression, due to the bone development and rotation between the thigh bone and the shin bone. Here’s an overview of the expected alignment development in children:
👶🏻1.Birth to Infancy:
At birth, a baby’s legs may appear slightly bowed or have a natural curvature. This is often due to the position they were in within the womb. As the child grows and starts to walk, these curves usually straighten out gradually. When a child begins to walk, it is normal to appear now legged until 2 years old.
🧒2.Toddlerhood:
During early toddler years, you may notice that your child’s legs are straightening. The bowing of the legs usually decreases, and they typically develop a more neutral alignment. This occurs around 2 to 2.5 years old.
👧3.Preschool Age:
By the time a child reaches preschool age (around 3 years old), their legs will start to look more knocked kneed as their thigh bone and shin bone rotates. By 7 years old, their legs will straighten up and appear more aligned.
Sometimes children appear more knocked kneed than they should because of habitual postures like W-sitting. 😬Some babies sleep on their tummy in a kneeling posture with their feet turned in and tucked under their bottom. Such frequent and constant habitual posturing can impact on the normal bone development and bone alignment of the legs and feet. As a result, children tend to walk and run with their feet turned in and knees knocked.
😬Significant deviation of the leg bone alignment from normal development can result in these children tending to trip on their own feet especially when they are running or when they are tired at the end of day.
If you are concerned about your child’s leg and foot posture, ring My Favourite Physio on 📱(02) 9790 4233 or DM us @myfavouritephysio to speak to one of our Expert Paediatric Physiotherapists today! 🤓
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