What is deformity?

A deformity is when something doesn’t look or work quite right because it didn’t grow properly.

Imagine you have a toy car. Most cars have four wheels that are the same size and shape, and they all spin smoothly. Now picture one of those wheels, maybe the front one, being bigger or smaller than the others, or maybe it’s shaped like an egg instead of a circle. That wheel might not roll as well, making the toy car wobbly or hard to steer. That’s kind of what happens with a deformity, part of your body doesn’t grow the same way as the rest, and that can make it feel or look different.

Think of stairs in your house. If all the steps are the same height, you climb them easily. But if one step is higher than the others, maybe two steps up instead of one, it’s like having a deformity in the staircase. You might trip or feel like something doesn’t match up.

Sometimes people have deformities in their hands, feet, legs, or face, but no matter where they are, they’re just parts that didn’t grow quite right!