Definition of valgus

What does the term valgus mean?

1 : of, relating to, or being a deformity in which an anatomical part is turned outward away from the midline of the body to an abnormal degree a valgus heel valgus deformity of the big toe. 2 : varus sense 1 —used of the knee.

What is varus and valgus?

The terms valgus and varus refer to angulation (or bowing) within the shaft of a bone or at a joint in the coronal plane. It is determined by the distal part being more medial or lateral than it should be.

What is the meaning of valgus knee?

Definition. Valgus knee or knock knee is a lower leg deformity that exists when the bone at the knee joint is angled out and away from the body’s mid-line.

What is valgus angle?

The knee valgus angle was defined as the angle enclosed by the distal femoral anatomical axis (line AB) and the femoral mechanical axis (line AC).

What causes valgus at the knee?

Osteoarthritis is the most common cause, however, other causes include post-traumatic arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, rickets, and renal osteodystrophy. Regardless of etiology, the valgus malalignment can be corrected with careful analysis of the deformity and a systematic surgical approach.

What causes knee valgus?

Knee valgus results from a combination of femoral and tibial motions, which can be influenced by the joints proximal and distal to the knee, including the trunk, hip, and ankle. Lack of femoral control can result in excessive adduction and internal rotation, which can stress the ACL.

What is a valgus position?

Knee “valgus” occurs when the knee moves inward, toward the midline of the body, no longer in a straight line between the hip and ankle. The knee is more susceptible to injury when it’s in a valgus position.

What is a varus position?

Varus knee is a condition that’s commonly referred to as genu varum. It’s what causes some people to be bowlegged. It happens when your tibia, the larger bone in your shin, turns inward instead of aligning with your femur, the large bone in your thigh. This causes your knees to turn outward.

What does a valgus knee look like?

What does varus deformity mean?

A varus deformity is an excessive inward angulation (medial angulation, that is, towards the body’s midline) of the distal segment of a bone or joint. The opposite of varus is called valgus. EX: Varus deformity results in a decreased Q angle of the knee joint.

How do you fix knee valgus?

Strengthening the knee and hip muscles can improve valgus knee and performing a squat with a resistance band can help improve function. Valgus knee can happen when lowering or rising out of the bottom of the squat. Resistance bands are great tools to help correct valgus knees and provide strength to your hip muscles.

How do you treat a valgus knee?

For older children and adults with genu valgum, a course of physical therapy and exercises can help realign their knees. It can also strengthen surrounding muscles and avoid stress damage to other joints. If these efforts aren’t successful, surgery may be performed to realign your knees.

Is knock knees varus or valgus?

A person with knock knees (genu valgum) has a large gap between their feet when they’re standing with their knees together. Many young children have knock knees, which tend to be most obvious at around the age of 4.

How do you walk with knee valgus?

What muscles are weak with valgus knees?

A common improper movement pattern observed during a squat is knee valgus (knees caving inward). This is typically the result of strong hip adductor muscles (located on the inner thigh) overpowering the weak hip abductors (gluteus minimus and gluteus medius).

Can a knee replacement correct a valgus deformity?

Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is used to treat knee valgus deformity, and approximately 10% of all patients who require TKA present with valgus deformity.

Do knee braces help with knee valgus?

The knee valgus brace significantly reduced the pain by 20% in WOMAC and 15.5% in VAS compared to the baseline. Barnes et al., [27] examined 30 patients with medial knee OA for 8 weeks with knee valgus brace and indicated the pain and activity also improved significantly based on the SF-36 questionnaire.

Do squats help knock knees?

If you observe carefully, then you will figure that doing sumo squats will move your knees outward. This movement helps in pushing the kneecap and the other muscles to their right location, and that’s why this exercise is considered to be one of the best, when it comes to rectifying knock knees.