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Clubfoot in Infants

When your baby was born you learned immediately that he/she suffered from a foot deformity. At first you were scared, but the doctors assured you that the deformity wasn’t severe and could be treated. You sighed with relief and immediately followed up with more questions. What was the deformity? What did it look like? How could it be treated? The doctors informed you that your baby suffered from Clubfoot and began to explain the next steps.

Clubfoot is a congenital deformity that has four main components.

  1. Inversion of forefoot.
  2. Inversion of heel/hindfoot.
  3. Lack of extension of ankle.
  4. Leg rotated inward.

Overall, Clubfoot is very complex and stems from genetic and inter-utero factors. One theory regarding clubfoot is that it is caused during the development of the fetus. When the fetus is in poor shape and development slows, a clubfoot is commonly the outcome.

Signs of Clubfoot

The foot typically is considered “down and in”. It is smaller than what is developmentally typical and the heel is more flexible and soft. The inner border of the foot is concave and the outer border is very convex. The heel is small and angled inward. The Achilles tendon often is very taut and tight.

There are two types of clubfoot.

  1. Supple clubfoot – This is equivalent to a severe soft tissue deformity.
  2. Rigid clubfoot – This is a condition that is harder to correct.

Treatment for Clubfoot

Supple clubfoot can be treated by casting the affected foot and then using surgery. Casting should be used on all clubfeet as soon as possible so that the condition does not become more severe as development progresses. Casts should be changed weekly or semiweekly depending on the situation and should continue until the foot is healed and corrected. If casting hits a plateau, then surgery will be considered. Podiatrists tend to recommend surgery between 6-9 months of age. The surgery consists of correction of the foot and bones until there is a flat position that can be used and stabilized.

Does your child suffer from clubfoot? Do you need a second opinion or help with casting? Looking for a surgeon to help the correction process? Syracuse Podiatry in Fayetteville, New York may be right for you and your family. Dr. Ryan L. D’Amico can examine your infant’s foot and help decide the best course of action for you and your family. Call 315-446-3668 or make an appointment online today.

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