Oval legs accelerate degenerative arthritis
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By Song Sang-ho
As straight legs are the standard of a beautiful figure, a lot of women longingly wish for so-called ‘11 legs’. There are many women who are stressed because their legs don’t look pretty, especially if they are bandy-legged.
If your legs are bent and it is noticeable with the naked eye, you must be cautious because it could be a joint problem, not just an appearance issue.
When passing by on the street, I often witness middle-aged or older women with badly O-shaped bandy legs. In general, when you stand straight but your knees are apart more than 5cm, you probably have O-shaped bandy legs. The accurate diagnosis of a knee joint that bends outwards is ‘varus(bowleg)’. Normally the axis from the hip to the shin bone forms a straight line, but bowleg is a bent bone or one incorrectly aligned so there is gap between knees.
Apart from genetic causes or congenital diseases, bowleg is mostly caused by incorrect posture and lifestyle. Factors that cause bowleg include being on your mother’s back often in childhood, bad walking habits, wrong posture such as your twisting legs or lying downward, postnatal care, high heels, or your type of job. Sedentary lifestyles that are common in Korea are also a cause of bowleg. Bowleg occurs more often in Asians than Westerners, and more with females than males.
Normal knees evenly distribute weight, but the weight and pressure of O-shaped legs make the center of gravity displace to one side and increase the inside pressure on the cartilage. Because of this, it accelerates cartilage damage and leads to a vicious cycle that the legs become more bandy-legged. In particular, bowleg is known to be more painful than common osteoarthritis because only one side is intensively damaged. In severe cases, it can lead to degenerative arthritis, so it should be treated as early as possible.
Bowleg can be treated by ‘High tibial osteotomy’. Also known as redressing surgery, it is a surgery that disperses inward-biased weight on the knee outward. It bends the shin bone to the other side so that the pressure is evenly distributed. This surgery is usually operated on patients that are relatively young, active and under the age of 60, and have more cartilage, stronger bones and muscles. Patient satisfaction with this type of surgery is high because it preserves the joints after the surgery and there isn’t any hindrance to movement. However, if you already have worn out cartilage, the artificial joint surgery is recommended as the best method of treatment.
The most brilliant confidence comes from health. I want to emphasize the necessity of treatment, because bowlegs with women hurt the joints as well as bringing psychological harm. But prevention should come first. If you want to maintain a healthy body, I hope you care about health of your joints and exercise.
Song Sang-ho is the Welton hospital chief director.