Hello Dr. Greene.

I am a mother of an 8 month old son who was born with a left clubfoot. I found out about my son's foot via ultrasound and researched treatment methods available prior to his birth.

I came across an absolutely wonderful treatment method for clubfoot created by Dr. Ignacio Ponseti. It involves precise manipulation of the foot with casting (with cast changes done every 5-7 days) for a total of no more than 9 casts for even the most severe clubfoot.

After this casting period a small nick is made to the Achilles tendon (done under local anesthesia - no sutures required), followed by another 3 weeks of continuous cast wear to hold correction and allow the tendon to heal in the stretched position.

The child then wears a foot abduction brace 23 hours a day for three months with gradual reduction in hours thereafter until it is worn only during the night until approx. 4 years of age. This method virtually eliminates invasive surgery. It has a 98% success rate when done correctly.

Dr. Greene, I know your website is used by many parents seeking information on all sorts of different child issues. I, too, have used it to gather much info. I think by showing parents info on this method, it may save many children from having major surgery to treat something as simple as clubfoot.

I noticed you mention on the site that surgery is often needed for clubfoot. This is no longer the case using the Ponseti Method. Here is a website offering lots of info on this method:

I am certain that by showing new parents out there who have a newborn child with clubfoot an alternative treatment method, you will have many grateful parents - not to mention happy children.

Please contact me if you would like more info or if you would like to see my son's beautifully corrected foot.

Thank you for your time and consideration.
Dolores Olari