Juliet was around sixteen months old when her physical therapist at the time mentioned the way her legs were shaped — a definite bent out pattern that the therapist was concerned about.
Juliet was close to being dismissed from physical therapy at the time, so the therapist suggested I take her to a pediatric orthopedic to have them looked at before the discharge. I had never really paid attention to the way Juliet’s legs looked, and I never noticed them impacting her walking or running, but I made the appointment. At the appointment the doctor said that the shape of her legs was due to the position she laid in womb. He said judging by the looks of her legs, she mostly stayed crossed legged while inside. I was relieved to find out that most children’s bodies correct themselves on their own, and that there was no need for braces or special shoes. If she had not improved by the age of 3, I should bring her in then. Armed with that knowledge I felt relieved, as did her therapist, and Juliet graduated from physical therapy a few short months later.
As Juliet grew I tried to pay more attention to her leg structure. She preferred sitting in a W formation which I was told exaggerated the stance of her legs more, so I tried to make a conscious effort to correct that by making her adjust when I saw sitting in a W. In truth I never really worried about it after the initial doctor appointment because Juliet could climb, jump, run, and all together was way more active physically than Drake was, and his legs were fine. Sometimes people would comment about how her legs were bent when she was standing or running, but I always told them it would correct itself naturally.
Around two and a half I happened to be at the mall shopping with Juliet during the holiday season when we bumped into her old physical therapist again. It was an unexpected coincidence and her therapist marveled at how far along she had come in the year she last saw her. Juliet didn’t remember her, but she got into an fun chasing game with the therapist’s daughter. Juliet’s therapist asked me again if I had her legs checked out. I reminded her that I did, and she was still 6 months from turning 3. Her therapist said while it had definitely improved, it might not hurt to get them looked at again to see if anything had changed or if the doctor had any new suggestions since it was clear that they splayed outward,especially when she ran.
It took me a few more months before I decided to try to take Juliet in. I had watched her movements more and while I didn’t feel like they were a hindrance to her abilities, I was worried that perhaps as she grew older it would become more of an issue.
We met with the same doctor who saw her a year earlier. When he saw her he noted right away how improved and different her legs were, which was true — they had changed a lot — and gave me the same information. She was simply built like that. Her hips were naturally more splayed in some ways, due to the way she laid in womb and developed, and the actual bones and structure of her body were fine in a way that braces wouldn’t make an impact in changing them. Instead he said as she grew she might become more conscious and aware of her leg placement and start to try to turn them out consciously or adjust the way she moves if it bothers her. He noted that her leg placements were naturally looser going outward, like sitting in the W position, and tighter going inward, thus possibly making it more difficult for her to sit Indian style.
After the appointment I brought it up with her Early Intervention case worker. She also noted the way Juliet moved, which was most noticeable when she ran, but since she could run and jump and climb uninhibited, she wouldn’t qualify for services again. She gave me some suggestions for trying to make Juliet work to turn her hips through pushing weighted things, encouraging her to sit Indian style and as she grows possibly trying to make her conscious of physically turning her legs out so her body would slowly adjust to the new position.
One of my friends suggested starting her in ballet class, since many of the movements and stances in ballet require turning your legs outward. I am considering the option since Juliet loves dance and music and while I’m sure a class for a 3 year old won’t involve a lot on proper stances, it couldn’t hurt to give her some kind of body awareness.
As a parent I am less concerned about the shape of Juliet’s legs, but more worried about her own self consciousness as she gets older. Nothing about her movements stand out to me, but I do admit I find myself studying how everyone walks and runs now! If Juliet becomes bothered by this issue and it isn’t corrected through ballet, letting her push heavier objects in her stroller, etc., we might persue private physical therapy later down the road. I’m hoping right now if we are conscious and slowly work at it through these simpler methods that she will probably like anyway, it will slowly correct itself.
blogger / nectarine / 2043 posts
We took Baby C to an orthopedist last summer, right after her 2nd birthday, for a similar issue (leg structure is similar and she turns her right leg inward a bit more than normal), and the ortho said the exact same thing to us about womb placement and that she’s likely to grow out of it. I’m not really stressed about it, kid is very active and doesn’t seem to have any issues as a result of whatever misshaping might be happening so I’m letting it be.
blogger / nectarine / 2600 posts
@Mrs. Carrot: Oh well thats relieving to hear another Dr say the same thing about womb shape and stuff. I want to not worry and think other people dont notice but my mother is a huge critic of a lot of things and wont let it go, coupled with my guilt about her delays and being failure to thrive as well as being the middle child and Im just racked with guilt a lot over her sometimes. Im glad to know its a similar diagnosis though and that maybe its not as big of a deal as its becoming in my mind
blogger / nectarine / 2043 posts
@Mrs. Chocolate: Hah, moms are a trip aren’t they? We actually went to the ortho because my mom would not let it go that there is something wrong with Baby C’s legs, and ironically the timing worked out such that my mom was here in town and went to the appointment with us and heard the doctor say that it’s not an issue. And she still brings it up repeatedly anyway because “it’s not going to be good for a girl to have crooked legs.” The doctor specifically said that the only realistic way to fix it is to basically break her bones and reset them so that they grow straighter – nope, not happening. As long as she’s able to function without problems physically, I’m not going to fixate on the cosmetics. And the kid is not even 3 (she and Juliet are within a few weeks of each other, actually!) so I’m letting it be.
coconut / 8472 posts
My mom’s legs are just like this. And she’s had a lot of joint problems. Some are genetic and linked to cartilage issues, but some are because her alignment is way off. She’s had to have both hips and knees replaced. You might want to ask your doctor about long term prognosis.
guest
My right foot naturally turned in as a child. Ballet definitely helped strengthen my leg muscles and helped correct my lazy foot. These were not advanced classes either. I believe I took ballet from kindegarten until about third grade. I hope it helps your daughter as well!
clementine / 918 posts
I’m the opposite of ShootingStar – my legs are like this (i’m not sure if they looked more or less severe at a similarly young age) and I was a competitive gymnast and ran track and CC in HS (not well mind you, but not embarressingly bad either). People have commented about how my legs go out when I run and I’m a little self-conscious, but it really hasn’t negatively affected my life at all (everyone is self-conscious about something
) So far no joint issues
guest
My legs are like this–I’ve always just thought I was knock kneed (my mom has the same). It hasn’t been a hindrance at all, but I do feel like my thighs rub together more than other people because of turning in and I’ve never particularly loved the look of my legs. But I mostly don’t think about it : )
guest
The correct term is “tailor sit” or you could use criss-cross.
wonderful clementine / 24134 posts
One of the first thing my daughter learned at age 3 was first position! Maybe get a print out of the feet positions and start practicing with her. First and second are the easiest for them to learn and then in those positions a small plie
guest
Thanks for sharing! My son has the same leg shape, as do his dad and great grandmother
My grandmother still W sits at age 86! We were told the same thing as you and @Mrs. Carrot by the orthopedist I went to see, not to worry about it as he’s developing all skills normally. He does seem uncomfortable sitting cris cross, but that’s the only difficulty I’ve seen. I’m a pediatric therapist so I’m always conscious of it, but we have been repeatedly reassured so I’m trying to let it go.
cherry / 110 posts
What a pretty dress!
Small note — I know that back in our days it was called sitting “Indian style”, but that term has been phased out I’m guessing because it’s considered offensive (although I’m not entirely sure how). In Dean’s pre-school and K they call it criss-cross applesauce!
apricot / 427 posts
Just something to keep in mind about this issue (as someone whose legs are so turned its considered a ‘knee defect’)- if it doesn’t improve drastically by the time she goes to school going to an ortho would be a good idea. My defect has caused many, many (MANY) knee subluxations and cartilage damage over the years because my mother figured it was just “one of those things”, I was picked at a lot in school for how I walked and I’m now facing down a double Fulkerson osteotomy in my mid-20’s because my caps just slip for no reason at this point. An ounce of prevention is worth of a pound of cure (or surgery in this case) and whatnot
guest
You’d be surprised about ballet! Yes, classes for 3 year olds are more about fun than correct positions, but we’re in a city with lots of options and I know there’s a range from just about fun/wearing tutus, to places where it’s more “serious” like at dance academies. Our class is in the middle and they definitely take the time to teach them about the positions and movements (just in a more kid-friendly way).
If you have a range of places near you, you can probably find something where it would still be fun for her but where they spend time focusing on technique. I had leg/looseness issues when I was young and spent time in ballet and I know it wasn’t uncommon for kids to go into ballet in order to help address that kind of thing, so I bet a lot of teachers are familiar and could let you know if their class would be appropriate for your goals.