Question
I recently noticed that my child’s legs have a bit of an X-shape! They walk normally, but they can’t walk for long before they ask to be carried by an adult. Hi, could this be related to their X-legs? How should it be treated?
Answer
X-leg, in medical terms, is known as genu varum, which is a very common lower limb deformity. There are three main causes of ‘X’ legs: one is childhood curvature of the spine, another is congenital hereditary factors across generations, and a small part is due to sequelae of conditions like cartilage growth disorders, trauma, or fractures. The initial consideration is that the abnormal growth and development of the knee joint may lead to genu varum. Genu varum, also known as X-shaped legs, is more common in clinical diagnosis and usually manifests as a movement dysfunction. In clinical diagnosis, surgery for correction is often performed to provide an orthopedic solution. It is recommended that you go to a local regular grade-A hospital’s pediatric department or orthopedic and joint surgery department for a specialist physical examination and limb X-ray imaging examination for further precise diagnosis.