"Bow legs"

[Nodrog]

Hi all,

I currently have a dilema and little I can really do.
I have to go for a Police Dept medical but I appear to have "bow legs" It has taken 20 years for this to be pointed out to me )

My legs only seem to curve outwards below the knee. When standing with my legs together there is only a small gap between my knees but  a greater gap between my calves.

I have no problems with pain and no abmormal wear but I would like to know if this will have any future implications. Looking at the information on the web it seems to show the entire leg in a bow shape. My legs don`t seem to go to this extreme but I would like some more info.

Thanks in advance

[Shazinoz]

You can have just tibial bowing (I believe this is more common than femoral bowing), either inward or outward (Varus or Valgus). I am sure but not positive that you can have this bowing at it can NEVER cause a problem. You might want to look up this Genu Varus = bowed legs,( where genu valgus is knocked knees) in the internet and see what it says.

[amazonia]

HI

I am a police officer and have bowed legs (tibia only it appears), and it never caused any sort of concern or problems for me in the police medical.  Obviously I can't speak for your Department, but if you haven't had specific problems connected to it, and have been able to pass what ever physical testing there is, then I would be surprised if you were excluded for that reason!  I always knew I had 'loose' joints, and that my lower leg didn't really look straight, but never realized it was actually a problem until I had a serious knee injury -which didn't have anything to do with police work.  Now it's more of a problem just due to the ligament reconstruction that I need, which meant I needed a tibial osteotomy first to straighten things out -but if I hadn't injured the knee I don't think I ever would've really thought about it.  I was able to run and do all the physical requirements in the Academy and never gave it a thought.

Hope that helps, and good luck with your future career!

[The KNEEguru]

One needs to differentiate between bowing because part of the joint space is collapsed and bowing because the long bones are  twisted (torsion). The former implies that there is already joint damage, while the latter may cause no trouble or may later lead to a problem such as patellar pain.
I have a colleague who is very knowledgeable about this torsion stuff if you want to correspond with him.
KNEEguru

[Dr.Veklich]

Hello,

Here you could look at video that describes a patient's experience regarding bow legs correction treatment:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgw2mkiwNII

Also you could look at video of a patient's interview regarding bow
legs correction treatment in two parts:
Part 1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnZBlMEdGNs
Part 2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJyyz7sn6Vc

Dr.Veklich

[Hopeful31]

Question for Amazonia from Vancouver, Canada -- you mention in your post that you had a tibial osteotomy first to straighten things out - did this actually improve the appearance of your legs - i.e. less bowed?  Did your knees face inwards a bit when your feet were pointing straight ahead?  I have this problem and am trying to find surgeon in Canada to correct it finally.  Have endured lifelong sadness and embarrassment about this.  If any one reads this who knows of reputable surgeon IN CANADA, who peforms bow leg correction surgery, please advise.  Thank you.

[Hopeful31]

Hello --

From your description, it sounds like our legs have a similar appearance.  I share your experience of life-long sadness and embarrassment.  I have been referred to a surgeon in Toronto who performs high-tibial osteotomies (Google the procedure), which seems to straighten the legs, but is usually done because of pain vs. appearance -- pain due to arthritis caused by misalignment of bones at the knee. You probably do not actually have bowed legs, rather a misalignment.  Check out the blog Not a Cow Girl -- a young woman shares her experience of bow legs and having them straightened. Because of her blog, I am hoping to have my legs straigtened too. She had her op. in Washinngton DC and is very happy with the outcome.  The Toronto surgeon is a Dr. Cameron out of Sunnybrook.  I am meeting him soon. I really hope that he appreciates the mental misery this condition has caused me all my life... and accepts that that pain is just as valid as the physical pain of arthritis that this condition can cause.  Good luck.