Clubfoot, or clubfoot, is a term for the congenital medical condition talipes equinovarus (CTEV). It is a congenital deformity that involves one or both feet. The affected foot appears to have been turned internally at the ankle. Without treatment, people with club feet often appear to walk on their ankles or on the sides of their feet. However, with treatment, the vast majority of patients fully recover during infancy and are able to walk and participate in athletics, as are patients born without CTEV.
It is a relatively common birth defect, occurring in about one in every 1,000 live births. About half of people with clubfoot have both feet affected, which is called bilateral clubfoot. In most cases it is an isolated disorder of the extremities. It occurs in males twice as much as in females.
A condition of the same name appears in some non-human animals, particularly horses, although in that particular case it is more akin to stepping on the toes than to the sides.
Clubfoot is usually diagnosed immediately after birth simply by looking at the foot. This is when the doctor decides whether or not to perform an X-ray of the foot or feet to examine how the internal structures are positioned. In some cases, it may be possible to detect the disease before birth during ultrasound. It may be more prominent if both feet are affected. The ability to possibly identify clubfoot before birth may be beneficial for the child, as different treatments can be explored.
Once a child has been diagnosed with clubfoot, there are many different treatment approaches. Treatment should be given immediately after diagnosis to maximize flexibility in the baby's bones and joints. This allows for better manipulation in trying to get a normal foot. The Ponseti method appears to result in better results than the Kite method and has similar results to a traditional technique.
This involved manipulation by a person skilled in the art with serial casting and then providing braces to hold the feet in a plantigrade position. After serial casting, a foot abduction brace such as a Denis Browne bar can be used with straight lace boots, ankle foot orthosis, or custom foot orthosis (CFO). In North America, manipulation is followed serially, most often by the Ponseti method. Foot manipulations usually begin within two weeks of birth.
