15 Month Old Leg Problems

You should call your local Early Intervention and get her evaluated for Physical Therapy, that should be the 1st step Not surgery!

It is free and they can tell you what she may need or if they also agree about the surgery. Look online for your local office. PT could do wonders for her..she may have something simple wrong and it can be adjusted.

First, it's normal to worry, it's your child. I do want to reassure you that no matter what the doctor says, in the end she will be fine. She is healthy. She is not sick. My son is a bilateral above the knee amputee. I'm thankful every day that it wasn't a disease or damage to his brain. "It could be worse" rang through my head for a long time. Trust the orthopedic surgeon and if something doesn't feel right to you get a second opinion. No surgery is fun...but the earlier they do it the better...she won't remember it!

Hang in there!

I had a similar problem when I was a child. Though I did not fall while walking, I was severely bowlegged, and eventually needed surgery because of knee pain. You need to find the underlying cause of the distortion to the bones. In my case, I had childhood ricketts, now adult osteomalacia. It is a vitamin D deficiency. My nephew also has the condition, and aslo had surgery to correct his bowleggedness. For myself it was an intense surgery. I was 12 years old, and had to have an tibial osteotomy. Basically, they broke and reset my tibia (lower bone in leg). A small metal plate and screws were used to reset the bone, and I had to wear a cast for some time. This sounds scary, but it is just like a child breaking a bone, and needing a cast for a few weeks. What was so horrible about it is that I was 12, and I had both legs corrected at the same time. Being in 2 full leg casts, needing a wheel chair to get around is not easy for a preteen. I had to return to the op room to have the screws removed a couple years later, when the docs were sure my bones were strong enough. That part was not so bad.
My nephew who has the same condition, had a different type of surgery done last year. Since he was only 4, the doctors took a different approach. They somehow restricted the growth plate on his tibia. The restriction is to prevent the bone to grow in a curved way (bow). I don't know exact details of how (sorry). However, it was a about a 3 hour process, one night in the hospital, and he was walking again within a week. Now after a year, his legs look very different- straight. The doctor plans to remove any hardware and free the growth plate in a couple years. My nephew no longer complains of knee pain or having really tired legs. And it seems like he is growing so tall suddenly.
I don't know if the surgeries were different because of our ages, or because technology has advanced, but my guess is with a younger child the doctor would choose to go with the latter.
Both my nephew and I were seen at Boston Children's Hospital. Make the drive; I highly recommend seeking one of their orthopedic surgeons, I saw Dr. James Kasser. I believe he is head of orthopedics now. Not only are they more willing to research newer ideas & methods, but they are more understanding about scared kids.

Good Luck!

Perhaps you can also get her an evaluation from your local early intervention team. They can send out a team of developmental specialists as well as a physical therapist who can make some recommendations and address your concerns. Because she is referred to a surgeon does not necessarily mean that she'll need surgery. Sometimes a few months of physical therapy and exercises can be all that is needed. Let us know how you make out :)

J.,

Ask about Hyper mobility in her joints. My understanding is that it is a normal sysdrome that causes the joints to be hyper flexible. My 16 month old has it and Stride Rite high top Shoes have made all the difference. She started walking within hours of getting the shoes and is very unsteady without them. Infact she crys when she troes to walk without them now.

J.,
I'm sorry to hear hat you have this hurdle to jump over. My daughter had to go to an ortho and physical therapy for torticollis (uneven neck muscles) that also gave her plagiocephaly (crooked head) and she ended up wearing a helmet and doing therapy for months. It was way worse waiting for the appointment than actually going through the therapy/helmet care. We were so scared that we couldn't sleep, and when the time came to start taking care of the problem we were totally releived. You'll be really happy to be taking steps to solve the problem, and when it's all done you'll look back and be amazed at how much easier it was than what you had built it up to be! It's amazing how fast babies get better, they're growing so fast that as soon as you give their little bones guidance they grow right into perfection before your eyes! Good Luck!

Try not to be too scared. As a pediatric physical therapist I can tell you that many kiddos her age are "bow legged" My little one (now 10) was bow legged and pigeon toed. We took her to an ortho and he said she'd outgrow it. As a PT I was very concerned about this approach, but turns out, he was right. It is important to see a good orthopedist and have your fears relieved (hopefully) or to address any issues that might need addressing. THe bones of our little ones are very flexible and "soft" compared to grown up bones and they bend in ways that ours would not. Try not to worry too much. May I humbly recommend Dr. Melkonian at Children's Hospital or Dr. Millis at Children's. Both are very good orthopedists with good bedside manners as well. Make a list of your questions before your visit, sometimes nervous Moms forget what to ask! You're doing a great job to be aware of this and take action to reassure yourself and make sure your daughter is healthy!

my son had trouble walking and was very clumsy.. I took him to all kinds of doctors, had his legs put in braces for a while and it turned out that he was just flat footed! He was a late walker and needed time to learn to walk in his feet.. he's fine now (still a clutz though), but no surgery and the braces came right off once I found out.. have her walk on some paper with wet feet to see.. good luck

A chiropractor is the way to go. Non-invasive.
This is the one my daughter goes to and he has two
toddlers himself and is VERY good. He is close to you,
as I see you are in Manchester. I brought my grand baby
to him and he fixed her turned in foot(I thought it was a permanent problem). Her hip was out and he fixed the problem, painlessly!! Dr. Juszcak is in Concord a couple days a week at the Center for Integrative Medicine as well. ###-###-####
He spends at least 30 minutes with each of his patients.

Dr. Thomas Juszcak
12 PARMENTER RD UNIT A3
Londonderry, NH
###-###-####

what your going through sounds like what I went through when my son was 15 months old. He was bowlegged and he fell alot. We were recommended to Early Intervention to have an evaluation. It was great. From there I went to an orthopedic doctor. Early Intervention took on his case and did PT with him until he aged out at 2.9. He was fitted with a leg brace and shoe inserts. He was diagnosed with an exteded femural bow, a hip rotation deformity and intoeing. He worse the braces (not much) until he was 4 1/2 and still has his shoe inserts (he's 5 now). He looks great and he doesn't fall anymore. It has taken time but it worked. In the begining they told us he would have to have his legs broken and re-set if this didn't work. Dont' be afraid, that is a last resort. It didn't come to that for us and I bet you can make the right changes working with the right people.

I would also recommend seeing a good chiropractor, especially one that is a parent. A lot can be taken care of without the intrusion of surgery and you would be taking steps to remedy the situation immediately.
I recommend Dr. Ken George in Stratham, NH.
Good Luck.

I don't know anything about your specific issue - but I do know there are a million things today that can be done for kiddos with limb issues. We see Dr. Kasser who is head of orthopedics at Boston Childrens - he's fabulous. I say - try not to worry about it until you actually get x-rays, and a consultation. My son has some pretty serious orthopedic issues... but every day I thank god his heart/brain/lungs are prefect! :) just something to think about! :)

Hello J.,
I agree with the suggestions that you look into an early intervention evaluation asap. Try Easter Seals in Manchester........on Auburn St. Its free, and you wont be disappointed with your ES connection.
Good Luck

I am a mother of 4 and have been a nurse for over 25 years. I have one word for you - Chiropractic. Orthopedics will address her bones the way they are right now, not address why her body is not allowing her bones to be true and straight - the way they were designed to be. Most children suffer some kind of skeletal trauma through normal birth - it's just darn hard getting out! Esp. with a medically managed birth that may have included drugs, manipulation and or forceps. She probably has cervical subluxations that are creating blockages in her optimal nerve function which will only manifest symptoms only after enough damage has been done. Please get your kid checked by a good family chiropractor ASAP. She doesn't need invasive or merely symptomatic care.

I have a 16-month old daughter that is currently being referred to an orthopedist at Children's for a similar problem. She has one leg that turns outward when she walks, and she has suddenly fallen forward many times. We reported it to our regular practitioner at her 15-month appt, who referred us to the orthopedist... but I've actually noticed that it has been improving on its own in the meanwhile.

My own feet turned in when I was a baby, and I had to sleep in corrective shoes for awhile. No big deal - I've been fine ever since! :)

My daughter was also severely bow legged and has tibial torsion. She has seen the orthopedic surgeon a couple times but so far they are taking the "wait and see" approach. At first I was upset b/c I thought it should get corrected sooner rather than later. But, it turns out it is improving! Her legs were so bad they thought she had Blount's but now friends comment on how much better her walking is! I know it's hard to see our babes like this and think about needing braces or surgery. 15 months is really young and my DD's Orthoped. said they don't usually brace before age 2. Basically, as for what to expect: x-rays and follow-ups. They most likely won't do anything for treatment at this age. But bring someone with you for x-rays b/c you will have to help hold your DD (she won't like it) and someone will need to be with your 5 year old in waiting room. My DD HATED getting the x-rays. It was really hard. Good luck!

My daughter started "walking" at 8 months of age, she started tripping over her feet and stopped trying shortly after she started. She then did not walk again until 13 months and she did so with great caution, he toes are terribly turned in. We had taken her to an Orthopedic when she was 9 months so we knew that she has TIBIAL TORSION. We expected the falling and such.
Our daughter may need surgery to fix her legs and feet. She does go to PT but it doesn't seem to help. She also walks on her tiptoes which is not good. BTW, she is now two years old.
I would agree to get her to the Orthopedic to find out what you are dealing with.
While the surgery for our daughter is not pretty, I would rather she have it and have a normal childhood, jumping, running, dancing. She can't do any of that now.

Good luck J....