yogabook / pathologie / knock knees
knock knees (genu valgum)
Definition
Very rare congenital, mostly acquired deformity of the legs with at least 185° between the midline of the body and the lower leg or max. 171° between the femur and tibia (instead of 174° measured laterally on the bones). In infancy, knock-knees are physiological, but must grow out. The knock-knee is often associated with a bowed foot and a posteriorly hyperextended knee (genu recurvaturum).
ICD M21, E64, Q74
Cause
– Diseases
- Rickets (vitamin D-dependent or -resistant; renal)
- Polio
- Paresis
- Inflammations
– traumatisch
- Traumen
- Frakturen
– Musculoskeletal system
- Dysplasias
- Narrowing of the lateral joint space due to loss of meniscus tissue and osteochondral structures
- Insufficient medial ligament and soft tissue structures
– Other factors
- Overweight
Symptoms
- possibly pain in the outer knee
- Sensitivity to weather
Complications
- Damage to the outer meniscus, later lateral gonarthrosis
- Necessity of joint replacement
- Coxarthrosis
Therapy
- Infantile: Conservative: with night splint
- Stretching orthosis to relieve the lateral joint space
- Repositioning osteotomy – no longer for existing osteoarthritis, then TEP