What it means
A gap between the knees standing with the feet together, overloading the medial condyle.
Where it comes from
Lower limb axis misalignment driving the load line medial to the knee.
How it is measured
It is measured on the front view, in the coronal plane. The defining measurement is Knee alignment — bowed or knock-kneed (Hip-knee-ankle axis deviation), and it is reported as a finding from above 3°. The number is computed from landmarks on that photograph — not estimated by eye, and not compared against a stock example.
What the numbers mean
| Measurement | Grade |
|---|---|
| up to 3° | Within normal range |
| 3–6° | Mild bow leg |
| 6–10° | Moderate bow leg |
| 10° and above | Severe bow leg |
Source of the bands: Hip-knee-ankle deviation from straight; intercondylar distance beyond ~5 cm is the conventional tape threshold
What is usually seen alongside it
- Gap between the knees (Intercondylar distance) — above 5°
None of these is a diagnosis on its own. Together they corroborate the finding; apart, they do not refute it — a measurement nobody took counts neither for nor against.
What confirms it
Intercondylar distance with the feet together; a standing full-length radiograph for the true mechanical axis.
Every number on this page is measured on the skin surface in a photograph. That is not the same as a measurement taken on a radiograph: it correlates with one and does not replace it. Wherever the decision depends on imaging, this page and the report itself say so.
What happens at the clinic
The assessment starts with three standing photographs — front, side and back. Every angle is measured on those photographs, the report prints the number and the grade for each, and the exercise programme is built from those numbers rather than from a template. Posture analysis explains the whole path, and the online assessment can be started from your own photograph now.
Frequently asked questions
At what point is genu varum reported?
When knee alignment — bowed or knock-kneed (hip-knee-ankle axis deviation) is above 3°, it is reported as a finding. That is where the "Mild bow leg" band begins. The bands come from: Hip-knee-ankle deviation from straight; intercondylar distance beyond ~5 cm is the conventional tape threshold
Can genu varum be assessed from a photograph?
A photograph gives a number, which most assessments do not have. But it is a surface measurement and it does not replace imaging. Intercondylar distance with the feet together; a standing full-length radiograph for the true mechanical axis.
What is the most severe grade?
The worst band in this table is "Severe bow leg". The grade is printed beside the measurement itself in the report, so it is always clear which number produced the word.