India, Aug. 26 -- A child's legs rarely look perfectly straight during the early years. Changes in leg alignment are usually part of normal skeletal development, but parents often worry when the knees or ankles appear unusually far apart.

According to paediatric orthopaedic Dr Somesh Virmani, knowing the difference between bow legs and knock knees can help families avoid unnecessary treatment while recognising problems that need specialist assessment.

He shared what the two conditions are with HT Lifestyle, when parents should seek medical help, and what the common treatment options are. They are presented as follows.

Bow legs, medically called genu varum, mean the legs curve outward. In this condition, when a child stands with the fee...