Blount Disease in Children

Blount Disease in children refers to deformity in the formation of the bones. The legs appear like bowed legs but don’t correct themselves even by the age of four. Therefore this is also called bow legged disease.

Generally, kids who start walking early and/or heavy for there age and height develop bowed legs.  But it automatically gets corrected between the ages of two to four. In some cases, the bones get bowed more and more and cannot correct themselves. Such kids need to be investigated for Blount’s Disease or bow legged disease.

Symptoms

• No improvement in bowed legs by age of two
• Tibial torsion is noticed. It’s a condition where with bowing of bones the knees bulge outward and the toes bend inward that causes the child to fall repeatedly.

Diagnosis

An orthopedic pediatrician would recommend X-rays to check the angle of the knee to access the severity of the case. If it’s in 10-12 range, then it’s curable.

Treatment

Treatment of Blount’s Disease in children depends on the age of the child. Generally braces are given to wear on the legs to correct the bend.  These braces are called KAFP meaning Knee, Ankle, Foot, and Prosthetic. The braces start from the thighs and extend up to the foot including the toes. These braces are in the form of a cast would prepared based on the requirements for the child. Then they would be fitted on to them. They come in various forms and styles but the core idea is to correct the legs and the toes.

After the braces, the child would have to visit the hospital to get the X-rays done to check the progress. Normally, improvements are expected in a year’s time. In case it doesn’t happen then a corrective surgery would be recommended. But this is last option and done for the most advanced cases of Blount’s Disease. Like in all diseases, early detection and timely action would yield better results i.e., faster recovery.