Massage therapy · Kitchener–WaterlooBlount's Disease

Blount's disease is a rare growth disorder of the shin bone in children, which causes the legs to bow out just below the knees (Cleveland Clinic, 2022; Nemours KidsHealth, 2022). In young infants, a small amount of bowing is normal. This normal bowing usually straightens out as children grow and walk, typically by around 2 years old (Nemours KidsHealth, 2022). Children with Blount's disease have lower legs that stay bowed or bow even further, which can lead to problems walking. Unlike normal bowing, Blount's disease slowly gets worse (Kaneshiro, 2024).

The shin bone is usually twisted as well as bowed, so the toes often point inwards (in-toeing). One leg may become shorter than the other. Young children usually have no pain, but older children and teenagers can get knee pain that gets worse with activity (Nemours KidsHealth, 2022).

Blount's Disease Anatomy

The lower part of the leg has two bones, the tibia and the fibula. The shin bone, or tibia, is the larger of the two bones and bears most of the weight placed on the leg. It lies on the inside of the fibula, closer to the other leg. The thinner bone on the outside, the fibula, runs parallel to the tibia. Like all the long bones in the body, the tibia does most of its growing at growth plates, areas of developing cartilage near the ends of the bone, throughout childhood (AAOS, n.d.). In Blount's disease, too much pressure is put on the growth plate at the top of the tibia. The inner side of the bone stops growing normally while the outer side keeps growing, so the bone bends outward (Nemours KidsHealth, 2022).

How Blount's Disease Is Treated

1. Observation

In children under 2, it can be impossible to tell Blount's disease apart from normal bowing, so doctors usually keep a close eye on the legs (AAOS, n.d.; Nemours KidsHealth, 2022). Normal bowing corrects itself as the child grows, but Blount's disease gets worse if it isn't treated, so early diagnosis is very important (Nemours KidsHealth, 2022).

Treatments you may want to discuss with your family doctor, nurse practitioner or medical team

Tips

• There is no known way to prevent Blount's disease, but helping your child reach and keep a healthy weight for their age reduces stress on their bones and joints (Cleveland Clinic, 2022; Nemours KidsHealth, 2022).
• Blount's disease is more common in children who are overweight or who gained weight very quickly as infants.
• A family history of Blount's disease is a risk factor.
• Children of African heritage and children who start walking early are also more at risk (Nemours KidsHealth, 2022; Kaneshiro, 2024).
• Blount's disease can affect one or both legs (Kaneshiro, 2024); in the form seen in young children, about half of cases affect both legs (Raftis et al., 2024).
• See your child's doctor if their legs have not straightened by the time they are about 2, if the bowing seems to be getting worse, or if they have pain or trouble walking (Cleveland Clinic, 2022; Kaneshiro, 2024).

Blount's disease is managed by your child's orthopaedic team, and massage and exercise can't straighten the leg. I help with what goes on around it: overworked muscles, knee pain in older children, and getting strong again after surgery. I work within the limits your child's team sets, and after surgery I need the surgeon's okay before any hands-on treatment.

I assess how your child stands and walks, and the movement and strength of their hips, knees and ankles. Please bring any notes from their medical team. Parents are welcome to sit in, with their child's agreement; for younger children, a parent or caregiver agrees to treatment for them.

Before or Without Surgery

• Gentle hands-on work for tight muscles in the legs, hips and low back
• Short, play-based body-weight exercises from about age six or seven

After Surgery

1. Nemours KidsHealth (2022) Blount disease. Available at: https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/blount-disease.html (Accessed: 7 October 2026).
2. Kaneshiro, N.K. (2024) Blount disease. MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia. U.S. National Library of Medicine. Available at: https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/001584.htm (Accessed: 7 October 2026).
3. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) (n.d.) Bowed legs (genu varum, Blount's disease). OrthoInfo. Available at: https://www.orthoinfo.org/en/diseases--conditions/bowed-legs-blounts-disease/ (Accessed: 7 October 2026).
4. Cleveland Clinic (2022) Blount's disease. Available at: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/22424-blounts-disease (Accessed: 7 October 2026).
5. Raftis, D., Helbing, J., Dance, S., O'Mara, A. and Tabaie, S. (2024) 'Tension-band plating for infantile Blount disease: efficacy and outcomes comprehensive review', Cureus, 16(6), e62514. doi: 10.7759/cureus.62514