Windswept knees

Last revised by Daniel J Bell on 1 Jul 2022

Windswept knees refer to the appearance of a bilateral knee joint deformity where one knee is in valgus and the other is in varus. The name describes the position of the knees if the wind blew across the legs of a patient, causing this evocatively-named appearance.

Pathology

Etiology

Most causes produce secondary osteoarthritis of the medial compartment in one knee (varus) and lateral compartment in the contralateral knee (valgus). Primary causes include: 

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