Knock knees is a medical condition in which a person’s knees point inward and touch when they stand. While the condition is most prevalent in children younger than 10 years old, it can also afflict adults of any age. In nearly all cases of early-childhood knock knees, the condition will resolve itself in time. In adults, knock knees can be caused by damage to a growth plate or by a disease like rickets.[1] Fortunately for adults, the condition can be treated relatively easily through dietary and lifestyle changes.
EditSteps
EditCorrecting Knock Knees in Children
- Allow the issue to correct itself in children under 7. Although seeing your child walk with their knees touching and their ankles apart can be worrisome, it’s no cause for medical concern. The condition corrects itself over time in nearly all cases. As toddlers learn to walk and hold their bodies upright, the knee issue will correct itself.[2]
- While nearly a third of 3 year olds walk with knock knees, less than 1% of 7 year olds still have knock knees.
- Take the child to a pediatrician if their knock knees are extreme. Occasionally, knock knees is a sign of a serious underlying medical condition. This is very uncommon, but can occur. Schedule an appointment and take your child to the pediatrician if their knock knees are abnormal severe. If your local pediatrician isn’t able to diagnose the issue causing your child’s knock knees, they may refer you to a pediatric orthopedist. Signs of severe knock knees include: [3]
- Extreme and painful-looking leg curvature
- Unequal leg curvature between the right and left legs
- Knock knees persisting after the child turns 7
- If the child is abnormally short for their age
- Ask your pediatrician about a nighttime shoe brace for an older child. If your child’s knock knees persist after the child turns 7, the doctor may recommend a shoe brace. This device is only worn at nighttime and will help straighten out the child’s knees. Or, instead of a shoe brace, the doctor may recommend that your child wear specific orthopedic shoes to correct the knock knees.[4]
- Medical corrective devices like metal braces used to be used to help correct knock knees in children. However, now these devices are seen as largely useless and often emotionally detrimental to children forced to wear them.[5]
- In cases of severe, long-lasting knock knees, your pediatrician may recommend corrective surgery.
EditCuring Knock Knees in Adults
- Lose weight to take unnecessary pressure off of your knees. Knock knees is often linked with obesity in adults. The added bodyweight can put a great deal of strain and pressure on the person’s knees, causing the joints to flex inward. Losing weight to avoid obesity can also help lower your risk of developing arthritis, which frequently causes knock knees in aging adults.[6]
- There is no single weight range that’s ideal for every person. Talk to your doctor and ask about ways you can reach a healthy, reasonable, sustainable weight.
- Avoid high-impact physical exercise to avoid straining your knees. If you have begun seeing signs of knock knees, try to cut high-impact physical exercises out of your workout routine. These sports and exercises place a great deal of strain on your knees and can worsen (or accelerate) the progress of the knock knees. Taking a break from these activities will give your knees a chance to heal. High-impact exercises include:[7]
- Jogging or running
- Playing soccer or tennis
- Playing basketball or football
- Include vitamin D and calcium to your diet to strengthen your bones. Adults who produce and consume insufficient vitamin D are more likely to develop knock knees.[8] Your body produces vitamin D when exposed to sunlight. Make an effort to spend at least 5-10 minutes outside at least 2-3 times per week. This will decrease your rick of arthritis, which in turn will lower your changes of contracting knock knees.[9]
- You can also take an over-the-counter vitamin D supplement if you’re in an environment without much sunlight.
- Consume plenty of calcium to prevent arthritis and knock knees. Preserving bone strength and preventing arthritis is a large part of preventing the onset of knock knees in adults. To this end, adults ages 19-50 should consume at least 1,000 mg of calcium per day.[10] You can purchase over-the-counter calcium pills at a local drug store, or add calcium-rich foods to your diet. You can find calcium in foods like:[11]
- Milk and butter
- Yogurt and cheese
- Broccoli, spinach, and beans
EditWorking with Your Doctor to Correct Serious Knock Knee
- Describe your medical history to your doctor to help with a diagnosis. If your knock knee isn’t cured through dietary and lifestyle changes, there may be an underlying health problem causing the condition. If the condition lasts for longer than 2-3 months, schedule an appointment with your doctor. When you make your visit, be prepared to answer questions regarding your family medical history. The doctor may also:[12]
- Inspect your legs to see if their lengths differ
- Look at your knees to see if they align
- Ask you to walk around the room to see how your knees move.
- Talk to your doctor about orthotic shoe inserts to modify knock knees. If your doctor believes that orthotics will be useful in curing your knock knees, they may suggest that you try to physically re-align the angle of your knees with orthotics. You’ll place the orthotics into the bottoms of your shoes and alter the angle at which you walk or at which your foot touches the ground.[13]
- You can purchase orthotics at a physical therapy supply store or at a medical supply store.
- Ask your doctor about exercises to decrease knock knees. If you’re healthy enough to perform exercises, your doctor can recommend an exercise regimen that will strengthen your leg muscles and let the knock knees correct themselves. In some cases, the doctor will also recommend that you work with a physical therapist.[14] Recommended exercises include:[15]
- Discuss surgery if other means of curing your knock knees have failed. If you have a severe, painful case of knock knees that doesn’t respond to any other means of treatment, surgery may be the only remaining option. In most instances, the doctor will perform an osteotomy by inserting a small permanent metal plate into your knee. The plate will align your knees properly to fix the leaning joints.[16]
- You shouldn’t feel any pain during the operation, since you’ll have been given a local anesthetic.
EditTips
- As a medical condition, knock knees is technically known as “Genu valgum.”
- Cases of Genu valgum in adults are relatively harmless in themselves but can stem from more serious underlying conditions. For example, knock knee can be a symptom of arthritis, severe vitamin D deficiency, or obesity.[17]
EditSources and Citations
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