Skeletal changes are the main manifestations of rickets, in addition, there are neuropsychiatric symptoms and muscle relaxation. Early in the activity of rickets, neuropsychiatric symptoms are mainly manifested, and children are impatient, sweating, sleep disturbance, sleep alarm, night crying, occipital baldness. The active period is mainly skeletal changes: head: cranial softening is mostly seen in small infants within 6 months, with a finger gently press the occiput, the top, there is a ping pong ball-like feeling. Softening of the anterior cranium and the edges of the bony seams is also seen, but it is diagnostic only in infants older than 3 months. Cranial deformity is most common in children over 8 to 9 months of age, with the earliest being a square skull, and in severe cases, a saddle or cross shape. The anterior cranial closure is late (1.5 years old and still not fully closed). Late teething, 10 months after the teeth, or see the teeth in reverse order, the teeth lack of enamel and caries.

The skeletal changes in the chest include rib beading (a portion of the rib cage in the forehead bulges out like an abacus); the rib margins are ectropion, and in severe cases, chicken chest (the sternum protrudes outward) and funnel chest (the lower part of the sternum is sunken in) can be seen.

Bracelets and limb bracelets on the extremities are most often seen above 6 months of age. The affected children have a blunt circular ring-like bulge at the wrist and ankle. After the child can stand and begin to walk due to bone softening and muscle joints loose in the body under the influence of gravity caused by lower limb bending. The legs may appear to be bowed (the knees bend outward when the heels of the feet are close together) and "X" shaped legs (the feet are separated and point outward when the knees are close together). Other skeletal changes include curvature of the spine and flattening of the pelvis. In the active stage of rickets, there is also generalized muscle relaxation, neck weakness, sitting, standing, walking later than normal children, abdominal muscle weakness makes the abdomen bulge like a frog's stomach. Children with rickets blood tests have changes in blood calcium, phosphorus, alkaline phosphatase content, skeletal X-ray examination also has specific changes, combined with clinical manifestations can determine the diagnosis of rickets.