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Non-surgical remedies for bow legs

Non-surgical remedies are more effective with young children. The more serious the condition gets, the more likely it is for surgery to be necessary. Nevertheless, it still makes sense to discuss some of these remedies. Benefits that can be obtained from these remedies include the improvement of core strength and posture (through yoga and Pilates), and stronger supporting leg muscles. The rest of this article explains some of these non-surgical remedies.

Therapeutic Massage Routines
A physiotherapist can assist you in performing a special type of exercise to aid in straightening bow legs. And you can do this at home too. Just lay your child down on its back, and one leg at a time, lift the leg up while bending it at the knee and move the knee as close to your child's chest as possible. Then bring the leg back into resting position, laying it down in line with the body in the supine position. Repeat this process around ten times, with each leg, twice per day, increasing the amount of exercise as time goes by.

Yoga Asanas: an important tool
Yoga significantly improves flexibility, posture, breathing, core strength and body alignment, among other things. These benefits directly assist in straightening bow legs. Of course, a person suffering from bow legs might have to make use of specialized gear such as 'straps'. The legs are bound together with these straps to make them feel stronger and more supported. This enables them to maintain a better posture while performing yoga asanas like the cow face position and certain forward bending asanas. As a general rule, yogic asanas must be performed thrice daily to begin with.

Strength-training for Leg Muscles
It is important to include exercises that make the muscles of your legs stronger in order to avoid unnecessary stress on joints and tendons during everyday activities. Simply tie a small weight (say, 10 pounds) to your feet or to the lower portion of your legs. Then, while lying on a smooth flat surface, bend the knees so as to allow the heels of your feet to touch your buttocks. Then, straighten your legs back into the position you started in, repeating this entire routine around 5 times. As your strength increases, you should be able to progressively increase the weight you use for this routine.

Healing effects of Pilates
Just like yoga, Pilates also helps strengthen core muscles, improves body alignment, and helps maintain correct posture, all of which indirectly contribute towards improving bow legs. Performing routines like the ballerina arms and roll-ups are fantastic for strengthening the abdominal and leg muscles. To achieve this, start by lying down on your back with your legs together. Then, using your abdominal muscles, lift your legs straight up towards the ceiling. While in this position, rapidly move your legs in a cycling motion 10 times to start with. Then, slowly bring your entire body back into the start position, laying flat on your back. Repeat this routine as many times as possible.


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