Bow legs are a condition in which the shape of the legs is distorted.
At times the condition is noticeable from a distance.
People with bow legs tend to have a slightly peculiar gait that is quite often accompanied by joint pain.
The knees and ankles of bow legs sufferers never come close to one other, no matter how straight they attempt to stand with their feet together.
This not only causes their knees to weaken but can sometimes also lead to them turning inward.
All of this can sometimes make physical activity and outdoor sports very difficult. In many cases, especially those that are more severe, people with bow legs tend to opt for surgical intervention to correct the condition.
Unsurprisingly, however, surgery is not always everyone’s first choice.
Your knee muscles play a key role in supporting your knee joints, and your core muscles- found in your abdominal region- are vital for good posture and balance.
Strengthening these muscles can very often help the knee joint itself, while also taking away some of the unnecessary load that your body weight is placing on it by correcting your posture and balance.
With that said, here are our exercise recommendations below.
1. Curling The Hamstring Muscle
You need to hold on to some furniture that you can use as a reliable source of support for this exercise, such as a chair.
Taking hold of this chair with your left arm, raise the heel of your right leg towards your buttocks until you’re holding your knee at an angle of around ninety degrees.
Hold this position for roughly 15 seconds, then release.
Repeat this process once more with the same leg, and then move on to the next leg, balancing yourself with your other hand instead.
Do this around 5 times for each leg, to begin with.
2. Sitting Against The Wall
Stand with your back flat against the surface of a wall with your toes pointing forwards.
Take 2 regular-sized steps away from the wall, then bend your knees while pushing your entire back against it.
You should now feel as if you were sitting in an invisible chair!
Try to maintain this position for around 1 minute before you return to the starting position.
For best results, repeat the exercise immediately after you complete the first, and try to do it twice more throughout the day.
3. Stepping Up A Gradient
Find a stair or platform 6 inches above ground level and place your left foot on this 6-inch elevation.
Push your body up while straightening your left leg, so that your right leg dangles for at least 3 seconds above the ground.
Repeat the same routine with the other leg, and do the whole exercise twice, repeating it thrice a day, to start off with.
4. Squats On One Leg
Stand up straight, using your left hand to support yourself with a wall or a stable chair.
Bending your right knee, lift your right leg above the ground with your toes pointing downwards.
Then, slowly crouch down as much as possible, bending the knee of your left leg as if about you’re about to sit in a chair.
Try to make sure that the position of your left knee does not project further than your toes for this exercise to have the best effect.
Repeat this at least twice before moving on to your other leg.
