“Clubfoot” is the term used to describe a number of various disorders of the feet. It is usually present from birth and is painless in childhood but can cause serious problems later in life if left untreated.
Causes:
Clubfoot is caused by a number of different reasons which are not yet fully understood by medical professionals. The postural clubfoot is usually caused by abnormal positioning of the fetus in the uterus during its developmental stage. Clubfoot may also be caused by various genetic as well as environmental reasons which are hard to fathom. Chances of occurrence of clubfoot syndrome increase if a family member has it. And also in your second child, if your first child is suffering from the same. In later stages of life, clubfoot syndrome may cause serious problems related to spinal cords and other complications.
Symptoms:
Clubfoot is usually detected by the abnormal shape of the feet. Although it is pretty painless in childhood it should not be left untreated as it may prove to be a major disability when the victim grows up. Clubfoot doesn’t straighten up on its own and prevents the victim from leading a normal life as it may leave one foot smaller than the other. The various symptoms of clubfoot are as follows:
- One foot is smaller than the other (especially in the heel region).
- The front of the foot is twisted to face the other one.
- The foot being pointed downwards instead of being straight.
- The foot may be turned in.
- In extreme cases, the lower region of the feet is turned upwards.
Treatments:
Clubfoot doesn’t usually get fixed by itself; however, there are a number of treatments available for the condition, which are as follows:
- Ponseti Method:
This is the best treatment of clubfoot which has a long-lasting effect. There are specialists who fix the position of the child’s foot with their hand and apply plaster to the corrected foot up till the thigh in order to maintain the rectification.
- Surgery:
This is usually a follow up of the Ponseti method where a minor surgery is performed on the foot after the frontal portion has been rectified. It helps to release the tendon at the back of the heel which is also known as the Achilles tendon.
- Boots and Bars:
This treatment helps to prevent the relapse of the clubfoot and is achieved by the use of special boots fixed with bars that keep the feet pointed outwards. The length of the bar is usually equal to the width of the shoulder of the child.