Knock Knees Type, Causes And Treatment

Knock knee (commonly referred to as "knock-knee defects," "knock-knee disorder," "knocked knee," or "genu valgum") is an unusual knee alignment that may impact people of any age group. Over time, the disparity of force it exerts on the knees can result in pain, joint damage, and initial arthritis. Correcting the condition will improve knee auto mechanics and walking capability and reduce pain while preventing the knee from worsening quickly.

What is a Knock Knee?

Knock knee is when a patient's knees bend inward and "knock" against each other. This applies excessive pressure to the outer side of the knee, leading to pain and damage as time passes. Knock knee is usually bilateral, indicating it affects the two legs, but it can also affect a single knee.

Types of Knock Knees

Genu valgum is frequently categorised into two kinds: physiological and pathologic. 

Physiological Knock Knees 

Physiological knock knees are a normal part of a child's development. Genu valgum is a common condition in children aged 3 to 5. Fortunately, most young people's knee deformities resolve themselves as they grow. As they go into their eighth year, their legs usually straighten out.

Pathological Knock Knees

Pathologic knock knees, or knees on the other together, are severe, last beyond the age of eight, or develop in adulthood. Obesity, vitamin D deficiency, calcium deficiency, arthritis, knee joint infection, and trauma are all prevalent causes of such cases.

Is Having Knock Knees Normal

For most children, knocked knees are a normal part of their growth. This typically resolves itself as the child grows older. If your knock knees are severe, affect one leg more than the other, or continue longer than six years, you may have knock-knee syndrome. Most children's legs go through normal angular changes while they grow. Children usually are bowl-legged until they walk at around 12 to 18 months. Their legs generally start to angle inward around the age of two or three years, causing them to be knock-kneed. By the age of seven or eight, the child's legs are going to have straightened out during normal development.

Disease, infection, or other illnesses can cause knocks that differ from normal developmental growth patterns. If the angle of the legs from hip to foot departs from normal structures, gets worse over time, or is present on only one side of the body, it shows a more severe form of knock knees, and further assessment by a specialist orthopedic surgeon in delhi may be needed. 

Causes of Knock Knee 

Knockknee can be developed from a born with or developmental disease, or it may occur due to an infection or trauma that affects the knee. Common causes of knock knees are: 

• A metabolic condition
•  Renal failure 
• Physical trauma (injury). Osteomyelitis Rickets 
• Congenital (inborn) conditions 
• plate of growth injury 
• Benign bone tumors 
• Broken bones that heal with deformity (malunion)

Treatment of Knock Knee 

Bracing may help reposition the knees in moderate cases of knock knees in young people. In the event that therapy is ineffective, or if the patient is diagnosed as an adult, surgery to realign the knee (typically within the leg, although sometimes in the femur or both) is performed to prevent or postpone the need for knee replacement. If an underlying disease or infection causes a knock knee, that will be dealt with before medical treatment begins. Braces may be implemented to help bones grow in the correct position for mild cases of knock-knee in kids and young people.

If a gradual modification fails, surgery may be necessary. In growing children, a guided-growth minimal-incision operation may be used to allow the leg to gradually align.

Conclusion 

In almost all cases of genu valgum, the condition resolves before the child reaches puberty. The most prevalent treatment for older kids and adults alike is stretches and exercises that reposition the knees and relieve pain. Orthotics and braces may provide relief for certain individuals. Surgery may be needed for some severe cases, but it is usually the last option because alternative treatments for genu valgum are generally effective.