Clubfoot Clinic

What is Clubfoot and How Is It Treated ?

Clubfoot is one of the most common birth defects. It affects 1.2 in every 1,000 babies born. If your child has clubfoot, don’t stress — it is a relatively easy congenital condition to treat.

What Causes Clubfoot?

In many cases, we don’t really know what causes the problem; this is called idiopathic clubfoot.

• Genetics. Clubfoot may “run in the family” —This makes your child more likely to have clubfoot, but not all people with a family history of the condition have kids with clubfoot.
• Neuromuscular disorders or syndromes. Some cases of clubfoot are caused by a miscommunication between the brain and the muscles. It is sometimes seen in children with myelomeningocele, arthrogryposis, spina bifida and other conditions.
• During development, a baby may develop positional clubfoot. It can happen when a baby is cramped or in an awkward position during the pregnancy. This is temporary and is not true clubfoot. After stretching and rotating the foot, it often returns to normal shape.

Diagnosis and Symptoms of Clubfoot: What Does It Look Like?

In some cases, clubfoot is first found on a prenatal ultrasound. However, most cases are noticed at birth. Clubfoot can be diagnosed by a specialist through a physical exam. If the foot regains its range of motion and a more normal shape with passive correction, the problem was probably due to being cramped during pregnancy. If the foot still does not, it is likely to be clubfoot.

These are the key signs of clubfoot:

Toes or middle of the foot curve inward and the Whole foot curves like a kidney bean/ Golf club

Heel is tilted inward and down, Tight heel cord

Treatments for Clubfoot

Clubfoot treatment will depend on a child’s age and the severity of their foot deformity.

The Ponseti method is the gold standard of care for clubfoot. Initially it is treated with serial weekly plasters, some may require five to seven casts, plus one small procedure called Achilles tendon tenotomy (heel cord) to fully correct. Children with very stiff feet may require even more casting and additional surgeries. This helps get the foot into the proper position so that the new tendon won’t be as tight. The tendon grows back quickly in children and does not affect their walking ability.

kids then have to wear “boots and bars” — a set of strap-on boots attached to each other by a bar underfoot — 23 hours a day for about three months. Then they can cut back to wearing them just during naps and at night until about 4-5 years of age.

However, it’s not uncommon for some to have some recurrence, foot pain or rotation problems as older children or adults. This is especially common when the boots and bars weren’t worn enough or when the clubfoot was severe or related to a neuromuscular condition. In any case of recurrence your child might require further treatment.

The Final Scoop on Clubfoot

Ideally, clubfoot should be treated starting at about one month of age. But no matter how old, anyone with clubfoot can be treated. It’s never too late to search for ways to improve the foot’s function and comfort!

Our Clubfoot clinic experience

Whether you learn about it during an ultrasound or you discover it during delivery, it can be both daunting and frightening to hear that your child has been diagnosed with clubfoot. Every child deserves to walk and money should not be a barrier to quality treatment. We include parents and families in our treatment plans to help ensure our patients receive the best and most appropriate care possible.

We are committed to using our resources to help children with clubfoot meet life's challenges — or find creative ways to work around them.