Will standing up too early cause leg deformation?

Many parents hope that their babies can walk early, and use various methods to help them start walking, but will this have any effect on the baby's legs? I heard that if a baby walks too early, his legs will be deformed? Is this true? Let's take a look at the details.

I often hear many mothers chatting on the street and they will talk about this topic: "The baby's bones are not fully developed yet, and if he starts walking too early, he will have bow legs. So if the baby can stand very early, you have to quickly pin him down and not let him walk." It sounds reasonable, but will babies really have bow legs if they stand too early?

Here we first understand the normal development process of the baby's legs. Generally speaking, when we stand at attention, the knee joints and ankles of both feet can be close together.

What is bow legs (knee varum)?

Simply put, when standing upright, if the ankles are close together, the distance between the two knee joints is too large, and it looks like an O shape from a distance, which is commonly known as O-shaped legs:

On the contrary, if the knees are close together but the ankles are too far apart when standing straight, it is called X-shaped legs (knee valgus):

Normally it is like this:

Before a baby is born, because it has to grow up in the mother's tiny womb, its legs will also be compressed, so it has O-shaped legs when it is born. Then, as it grows up and starts to learn to stand and walk, the O-shaped legs will look more obvious because it has to bear the weight. This is called physiological O-shaped legs. As the baby's bones continue to develop, such O-shaped legs will be naturally corrected before the age of two.

However, overcorrection will occur immediately afterwards, and the legs will gradually become X-shaped. The legs will be most serious around the age of 4, and then they will slowly straighten again, returning to a normal appearance around the age of 10. The above pendulum phenomenon (O -> straight -> X -> straight) is the development of most babies' legs, so please rest assured that it is normal.

Is it bad for baby to stand up too early?

Will it cause bow legs?

The baby's muscles and bones must develop to a certain level before they can stand up, so the chance of developing bow legs will not increase under "natural" circumstances (except when forced to stand using assistive devices such as walkers!).

If someone says that her baby can stand very early but has bow legs, you can tell her that every baby is born with bow legs, and there is no need to worry, as the condition will naturally improve as the baby grows up, and there is no need to affect the baby's normal development.

However, pathological O-shaped legs or X-shaped legs require medical attention as soon as possible to find out the cause and receive treatment and correction. The following are a few clues for parents. If any of the following phenomena occur, you need to see a doctor as soon as possible for corrective treatment to avoid affecting future bone development.

1. The legs are obviously asymmetrical in the shape of O (or X).

2. Bow legs have not been straightened after the age of 2.

3. There is no obvious improvement in X-shaped legs after the age of 8 years old.

4. Other patients have a history of short stature, joint injury or infection, or other metabolic diseases.