About Club Feet
If your child is born with congential talipes equinovarus, it means that he has clubfoot. A clubfoot exhibits the following characteristics: downward-pointing toes; a rigidity in movements of the foot; inward turning of the front of the foot; resting of the foot on its outer border; an abnormal foot shape and a tightening of the heel cord, which is the Achilles tendon, according to Chealth.canoe.ca.
Genetic
Clubfoot may be genetic, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. If one parent had a clubfoot at birth, the likelihood that he will produce a child with a clubfoot is twice that of someone who didn't have a clubfoot. Both feet can be affected by this malady or just one. Boy babies are born with clubfeet more often than girls. Out of every 1,000 births, a clubfoot is apt to surface.
Expert Insight
The medical community isn't certain why a clubfoot occurs. When a baby has a clubfoot or feet, the foot will turn inward and it may look as though the top of the foot is where the bottom of the foot should be. The leg, calf and foot will be shorter and smaller than the unaffected leg/foot (if both feet aren't involved).
Considerations
According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, clubfoot is not a painful condition; however, if it isn't treated it will lead to substantial discomfort as well as be disabling.
Ponseti Method
Over the past 15 years, doctors have begun leaning away from surgical correction of a clubfoot and more toward stretching the foot and casting it. This method is called Ponseti. When this option is chosen, the doctor will change the child's cast frequently over a period of several weeks with the goal being to stretch the foot in the right direction. After that is achieved, the heel cord is released and another cast is applied for several weeks.
Surgery
Sometimes the Ponseti method doesn't work and surgery must be done. This generally occurs when an infant is between nine and 12 months old. Following the surgery, the foot is put into a cast. Often, children must wear orthopedic shoes or even braces after surgery because their foot or feet may try to return to the clubfoot position. If your child undergoes surgery, his foot will probably be stiffer than it would be if he underwent the Ponseti method, but sometimes surgery is the only viable option.
Expected Outcomes
Once treated, the clubfoot still won't be 100 percent. It will be a size or more smaller than the unaffected foot and it will be less flexible and mobile than the good foot. The calf muscles on the clubfoot leg will be smaller than the calf muscle on the unaffected leg.
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