This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages before signing in

Bowing of the tibia

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

Lateral bowing is not uncommon in infants and is normal in a child less than 2 years old. It can be caused by a growth disturbance of the tibial epiphysis and the tibial shaft.

  • common from birth to the early toddler, often with out-toeing (maximal at approx. 1 year); most resolve by 18 months (1)

Consider and exclude rickets - particularly in individuals with a high phytate intake e.g. chapati eaters and vegetarians.

Measurement of the degree of deformity can be achieved by:

  • getting the patient to stand with both patellae facing forward and then measuring the distance between them
  • radiographic estimation: the angle between the longitudinal axes of both the femur and the tibia

Severe deformation may be amenable to osteotomy.

Notes:

  • anterior bowing is always significant; causes include:
    • congenital absence of the fibula
    • neurofibromatosis type 1
    • osteogenesis imperfecta
  • posterior bowing:
    • is rare
    • looks serious, but usually responds to simple stretching and splinting

Reference:

  • ARC. Sports-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders. Reports on the Rheumatic Diseases 2008;14.

Related pages

Create an account to add page annotations

Add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation, such as a web address or phone number. This information will always be displayed when you visit this page