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Talipes equinovarus
What do Olympic gold medalist figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi, Super Bowl Champion All-Pro quarterback Troy Aikman, actor-writer-musician-composer Dudley Moore, Hall of Fame sports announcer Pat Sumerall, romantic poet Lord Byron, comedian-actor-writer-director Damon Wayans, British King Richard III, Heisman trophy winner Charles Woodson, and Olympic gold medalist pioneering women’s soccer star Mia Hamm all have in common?
You’ve already guessed. They were all born with clubfeet!
Clubfoot is a deformity of the foot and lower calf. The bones, joints, muscles, and blood vessels of the limb are abnormal.
Anyone can be born with clubfoot. It can run in families and is slightly more common in boys. Most children born with clubfoot have no other congenital problems, but sometimes clubfoot occurs in association with other abnormalities or syndromes.
Although the name “clubfoot” sounds like a brutish Dickensian deformity, the actual appearance is that of a normal foot turned down and inwards. Without treatment, the child would walk on the outer edge of the foot. It is stiff and cannot be brought into normal position.
No
Clubfoot does not improve with time. It lasts until treated.
The diagnosis is made by physical examination. X-rays are used to further evaluate clubfoot.
Clubfoot is treated by an orthopedic surgeon. Taping, splints, and casts are often used. The foot is gently stretched closer to the correct position and then placed in a cast to hold it there. This procedure is repeated multiple times to bring the foot into the best position possible.
Surgical correction may be needed.
Treatment may take months or years.
Prevention of clubfoot is usually not possible.
Anorectal Malformations (Imperforate anus), Arthritis (Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, JRA) , Cerebral Palsy, Cleft Lip and Palate, Congenital Hip Dislocation, Constipation, Early Puberty, Enuresis (Bed-wetting), Hernia (Inguinal hernia), Hydrocele, Hydrocephalus, Inconspicuous Penis, Meningitis, Muscular Dystrophy, Polio, Spina Bifida, Tibial Torsion (Turned-in feet), Torticollis, Undescended Testicle (Cryptorchidism)
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Suggested additions, corrections, deletions, and update
Ponseti method
Your information about clubfoot treatment is out of date. The Ponseti method takes on average 6 weeks to correct the foot. After correction the baby wears a retainer brace to prevent relapse. Brace wear is initially 23 hours a day and gradually reduced to nights only until the child is around 4 years old. The method is successful in over 95% of cases.
The method is endorsed by the World Health Organisation, the NIH, the AAOS and several other organisations. It is the gold standard of clubfoot treatment.
For more information visit the Ponseti International Association