Being bowlegged means that your knees bow outwards so that the knees are farther apart than the ankles. The opposite of this condition is called knock knees. Bowleggedness in children is not usual and usually corrects itself, but sometimes the assistance of special shoes or braces is necessary. Sometimes adults do end up with bow legs and this makes exercise difficult. Follow guidelines to reduce pain and discomfort.
Leg Strengthening Exercises
Having bow legs does not affect upper body exercises, but popular lower body exercises such as squats may not be possible with bow legs, or they may be too painful to attempt. An alternative to toning your thighs is to use weight machines. Leg extensions tone the quads like squats, but since you are sitting down there is less stress on the knees. To perform a leg extension, sit on the machine with the back of your knees on the top leg roller, lean back to rest against the back pad, and tuck your ankles behind the bottom leg roller. Extend your legs until they are parallel to the floor.
Yoga Exercises
Having bow legs is not only challenging when maintaining alignment for exercises such as lunges, it also makes yoga difficult because of the importance of proper alignment during yoga poses. There are no specific yoga exercises that fix bowleggedness. Bowlegged practitioners experience a general difficulty doing standing exercises. You should find a yoga instructor to teach you modifications and give you feedback when your knees are not in the correct place. For example, a challenging pose for people with bowleggedness is Warrior 1 pose, or Virabhradasana I, because people with bow legs have a hard time squaring the hips during this exercise. A trick to making this pose easier is to place your back foot against a wall to help you maintain alignment and push your back hip forward. A yoga instructor can teach you these tricks.
Ball Exercises
Using a stability ball during exercises reduces pressure on your joints. An example of a stability ball exercise that strengthens the glutes and inner thighs is the ball bridge with adduction. When the knees move outwards, this results in weak inner thighs and glutes. The ball bridge motion strengthens the glutes and hamstrings. Holding a medicine ball between your knees, which is the adduction, activates the inner thighs. To begin, lie with your back on a ball with your knees bent to a 90-degree angle and your feet placed on the floor. Squeeze a medicine ball between your thighs and position your back parallel to the floor. With your hands on your hips, lower your glutes toward the floor and then push yourself back up to the starting position. Having to squeeze the ball moves your knees inwards. You can use this trick with other exercises too. Ask a personal trainer for examples if you do not know many exercises.
Stretching Exercises
Just as the inner thighs and glutes are often weak when the knees bow outwards, the outer thighs are often tight. Stretching exercises for the outer thighs releases tension so these muscles lengthen instead of pulling your knees outward. The TFL is a muscle on the outer thigh that you can lengthen with a standing TFL stretching exercise. To begin, stand with your right foot crossed in front of the left and your hands on your hips. Since your right foot is forward, lean to the right by bending at the waist and hold for 30 seconds. Repeat to the left.
References
- Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of NewYork-Presbyterian: Common Disorders: Bowleg and Knock Knees
- Go Ask Alice; Exercising with Bowlegs; May 2003
- Yoga Journal; Square Your Warrior; January 2009
- National Academy of Sports Medicine: Overhead Squat Solutions Table (pdf)
- Stack: Exercise: Stability Ball Bridge with Adduction
- PTClinic.com: TFL/ITB Stretches (pdf)
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