He’s a tough one. Little People, Big World star Tori Roloff assured fans that her and Zach Roloff‘s son, Jackson, was “not in pain” following his surgery to “help correct the bowing in his legs.”
“So Jackson DID have leg surgery. However, it was to correct bowing over time,” Tori, 30, told fans via Instagram Stories on Sunday, January 16, after a video of Jackson’s legs caused concern. “He had plates put on his growth plate. Nothing changed immediately. As his legs grow they will hopefully straighten and we will avoid a more invasive surgery.”
“He has been overcompensating while walking to avoid his shoes touching his ‘boo boos,’ which is why they look more bowed,” the photographer went on to explain. “However, they aren’t changed and he’s not in any pain. We’re hoping over the next 5-6 years, the pigeon toe and the bowing will be gone. Thank you to everyone who has reached out with concern for baby J.”
In November 2021, the mom of two, with one on the way, revealed that Jackson, 4, underwent a “less invasive” procedure, adding that it was one of the “hardest” days she had experienced.
Both Tori and Zach, 31, have kept their eye on their children’s growth, likely due to Zach’s own experience. Like their father, Jackson and his sister, 2-year-old Lilah, were born with achondroplasia, the most common form of dwarfism.
A common side effect of this achondroplasia is bowed legs — a painful experience that TLC alum had to go through himself and one the parents hoped they could help Jackson avoid.
When the reality TV star was still a child, Zach had his leg broken in three places and had metal plates inserted to help straighten his legs.
“As you can imagine, the recovery was painful. I had to take lots of painkillers and I slept a lot,” Zach previously said of the experience on LPWB.
In season 2 of the family’s reality show, where Zach would have been around the age of 16, he had to have screws added to his legs to help with his mobility.
Based on Zach’s own experiences, the soon-to-be parents of three were proactive in monitoring Jackson’s health and growth. During an episode of the show, they discussed what early actions they could take to provide a better quality of life for their eldest child.
“I think with Jackson’s legs, it’s mostly just like, I don’t want it to get to a point where he’s hurting because I’m pretty sure it’s gonna have to be dealt with at some point in his life, and I just want to make sure that we’re ready to move on it,” Tori said to Zach at the time. “I just don’t want to let it go too far. I want to know how to avoid two surgeries like you had.”
Earlier in November 2021, Tori and Zach shared the happy news that they were expecting baby No. 3, and the former teacher discussed the possibility that their third child would also be born with achondroplasia.
“We won’t know if he or she is a dwarf until further into pregnancy,” Tori told a fan during a Q&A on her Instagram Stories at the time. “And with dwarves, it’s encouraged to have a [C-section] because of bigger head size. I was saying, I’d love to not know [the baby’s gender or if they have a form of dwarfism] but IF my [doctor] says I need a [C-section,] it would be obvious to us.”