Last
month, the paediatric orthopaedic surgeons at Sheffield Children's Hospital
sent out a call for the Primary Care community to ask them questions about
common presentations. Unsurprisingly many of the questions were regarding
things to do with growing legs. Although there seems to be a guideline
for everything, there is none for such problems. While it would be
possible to make such a guideline, referral pathways vary and guidelines do not
always apply to every child.
It is a
common concern: Are my child's legs normal? Much of the time, children’s
legs seem to be a 'funny shape'. The vast majority of the time, these
legs are normal. This is the problem with paediatrics though: for
everything that is normal or benign, there is an evil twin. A relatively
rare problem that is neither normal nor benign. These complex problems
usually have a considerable overlap with the simple ones and so can be difficult
to spot.
To break
with convention, we've put together some guidance which should apply across all
the common presentations of growing legs. That way, clinicians have a
framework that allows them to make an assessment, rather than a rigid decision
tool that tells people what to do and what not to do. How refreshing!
The first
thing to cover, is what is normal in growing legs. As a general rule,
things start to point out, then in and then straighten up as a child grows into
their adult body.
Fig 1. From birth, children's knees will tend to go into varus and then
valgus before becoming a normal adult shape. Bandy legs (also called bow
legs) are therefore expected in a child under the age of three and knock knees
are considered normal until roughly 8 years old. Genu valgum may persist
into adolescence without any need for intervention.
The other simple rule of thumb is that normal legs are symmetrical,
function normally and are not associated with any other abnormality. This
applies to pretty much every scenario - Genu valgum, genu varus, in-toeing,
flat feet, hypermobility, "growing pains" and tiptoe walking.
In general terms, the following presentations are normal unless there is
reason to think otherwise (see red flags above):
- Bow legs (genu varus), in a child up to the age of 2 years
- Knock knees (genu valgum), in a child up to the age of 3 years or up to the age of 10 if resolving
- In-toeing gait (also called pigeon toe) up to the age of about 9
- Flat feet on weight bearing
- Tip toe walking in toddlers
- Hypermobility
The lovely thing about all of them is that the history and examination
required is usually brief. It is rare to need to refer or investigate.
What's wrong with this child's legs? Usually nothing, but
more on that in the next GPpaedsTips post.
Many thanks to the paediatric orthopaedic team at Sheffield Children's
Hospital for taking the time to answer questions and to turn their expertise
into guidance. At a time when Primary Care Guidelines are often written
by Secondary Care clinicians, I find it most refreshing that someone is willing
to give their time to share insights and provide general guidance which
facilitates rather than dictates management in Primary Care.
Edward Snelson
The Hitchcock of Free Open Access Medical Education
@sailordoctor
Disclaimer: All of the above is based on a standard number of
legs. For any variation on two legs, discuss with your local orthopaedic
surgeon or possibly a vet.
