DIAGNOSIS
To diagnose if you have knock knees, an orthopedic expert will examine your medical and family history, as well as any pre-existing disorders and current state of health. Standing-alignment X-rays or EOS images will also aid in the confirmation of the diagnosis. These are radiographic photographs of the leg from the hip to the ankle that assist your doctor in determining the precise position and mechanical axis of the abnormality.
TREATMENT
Bracing may be used to realign the knees in mild knock knees in children or teenagers. When methods fail, or if the patient is an adult at the time of diagnosis, two types of surgery are performed to avoid or postpone a need for knee replacement.
Guided growth surgery corrects knock knees by reducing bone development on the bent side, allowing the opposing side to catch up. The doctor implants small metal devices on the inner side of the growth plates that surround the knees. The outside of the knees will continue to develop, forcing the legs to straighten.
Osteotomy surgery fixes more extreme abnormalities that do not improve on their own by the time a child reaches adulthood. This procedure’s purpose is to realign the legs by modifying the angle of the bones. This is accomplished by a doctor realigning and cutting the bone above or below the knee.
