Q. Are bow legs something you are born with?

A newborn's legs curve inwards at birth, and this usually fades gradually after the age of five. So legs that look bowed in early childhood are not in themselves a reason to worry.

With bow legs, acquired factors have more influence than inborn ones.

• Wearing high heels most of the time
• Inadequate care after childbirth
• Sitting cross-legged on the floor for long periods
• A habit of lying or sleeping face down
• Sitting with the feet together and twisted out to one side (W-sitting)

In a culture used to sitting on the floor, the hip and knee joints are folded deeply and straightened again over and over. The ligaments around the joint stretch and loosen, and when you stand and load your weight again the hip rotates, so the alignment of the bones is not held.