<< Go Back To Articles Directory

Modern Remedies for bow legs

The very nature of bow legs means that the longer they are left untreated, the more difficult it can be to remedy the condition. While surgery is a very quick and direct approach to addressing bow legs, it's not always the preferred means of treatment. Nevertheless, treatment certainly becomes necessary if the condition is to be prevented from escalating into joint deterioration because in many cases this can eventually lead to arthritis.

It's important to note that the actual treatment of bow legs first requires you to understand what causes them in the first instance. Once you have this understanding, an appropriate treatment regimen can be formulated to gradually straighten them.

The causes of bow legs in adults can range from dietary deficiency to heavy metal poisoning, and possibly even to bone damage you might have experienced during your developmental years. The rest of this article aims to give you a brief overview of the various methods used for treating bow legs.

Medical braces to reshape legs
This method involves the use of medical casts or shoes that can help to gradually straighten your legs. Reshaping bow legs in this manner is most effective only when a person is still in their early years of life, and ideally within their first 3 years.

Consult a physiotherapist
You can also consider getting a physiotherapist involved who will help you perform the leg exercises for treating bow legs. Some of these simply involve moving the legs up and down in a cycling motion while the patient lies down on their back. Your physiotherapist will alternately bring your legs up from their supine resting position- as close to your chest as possible- and back down again. This exercise will typically be repeated around 10-15 times per session and should be done around twice daily for best effect.

Time to lose those extra pounds
Carrying more weight than your body is designed for, as per your age and height, can be a contributing factor in worsening your bow legs. Every extra bit of weight carried by your legs puts that much more pressure on your knees, which are already under a heavy strain due to your bow legs. The longer you carry around this extra weight, the faster it's possible for your bow legs to worsen, and this means that you'll likely to see signs of arthritis and immobility relatively early on.

Pilates, yoga and stretching
Bow legs are a condition that affects your body posture, and bad posture, in turn, can worsen bow legs- it's potentially a vicious spiral. Yoga and Pilates in conjunction with adequate stretching can often very much help you to strengthen your core muscles while improving your balance and posture. As a start, you can try a simple exercise at home. First, lay flat on the floor and slowly lift your legs above the ground till they eventually point towards the ceiling. This will give the leg muscles that support your knee a much-needed stretch! From this position, try lifting your hips completely off of the ground while you keep your legs pointed towards the roof the entire time. This exercise is an extremely effective way to target your core stomach and back muscles, Try doing this exercise 3-4 times in one session, and repeating the sequence 3 times a day, to begin with.

Supplement time
It is also vital to ensure you're getting adequate amounts of vitamin D through supplements and exposure to sunlight. This will certainly help improve your bone density, which is an important factor for straightening bow legs.


<< Go Back To Articles Directory