NORMAL AND ABNORMAL TORSIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN CHILDREN

This study presents findings in a series of 123 children with intoeing gait. The intoeing was caused by increased femoral anteversion (IFA) in 70% of the cases, and internal tibial torsion (ITT) in 30%. Rotatio n of the hips, thigh-foot angle, Q-angle, and computed tomography meas ured anteversion and tibial torsion divided the two groups very clearl y. In the IFA group, 40.3% of the patients presented with an externall y rotated tibia and 59.7% had an internally rotated tibia. In the ITT group, the anteversion was normal for age and the tibial torsion was s ignificantly decreased. Eighty children who corrected their intoeing g ait, and of whom 83.4% had IFA, were also reviewed: a decrease in ante version was observed in 20.5% of the patients; 62.9% showed no decreas e in anteversion.