Bowlegs

Definition:

A condition observed when a person stands with the feet and ankles together but the knees remain widely apart.

Causes, incidence, and risk factors:

Infants are born bowlegged because of their folded position in the uterus. The infant's bowed legs begin to straighten once the child starts to walk and the legs begin to bear weight (about 12 to 18 months old). Normal appearance is usually attained by the time the child is 6 years old; at this time, a child can usually stand with the ankles together and the knees just touch. If the bowed legs persist into this period, the child is called bowlegged.

Severely bowed legs can be a sign of rickets. Rickets is almost nonexistent in the United States.