The common kids' sitting position that could be a sign of trouble

You've seen it: A child with their legs splayed to either side of them merrily playing on the floor. But can this cute position — known as W-sitting — actually be bad for them?

This stability-enhancing position — the legs provide a stable base for the rest of the body — isn’t uncommon among children.

But is it a sign something could be wrong with your toddler? That’s a question that’s been discussed among parents and physicians... and the answer is nothing short of murky.

As children develop from newborn to baby to toddler, their bodies change substantially. They develop muscles, coordination and more. Some experts say W-sitting is just a part of development that works itself out as the child ages into an adult.

Dr. Donna Pacicca, an attending surgeon at Children’s Mercy Hospital in the division of Orthopaedic Surgery, section of Sports Medicine, and also associate professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at UMKC School of Medicine and adjunct professor of Oral and Craniofacial Sciences at UMKC School of Dentistry, is one of them. According to Pacicca, W-sitting is part of a normal condition known as anteversion.

"Everyone starts out in anteversion, and it gradually improves over time in most (probably due to in utero position, same thing that causes everyone to start out bowlegged),” explains Pacicca. "For the otherwise healthy and uninjured child, increased femoral anteversion means it's more comfortable to sit without stretching out the hip capsule (W-sit vs. criss-cross).”

Read the full story via SheKnows.com.

Learn more about The Center for Sports Medicine at Children's Mercy.