Clubfoot

Clubfoot is a birth deformity of the foot and affects approximately one out of every 1,000 live births. Because clubfoot begins to develop in a fetus during the first trimester and the foot is generally rigid and stiff at birth.

Usually, the foot that is deformed will be smaller than usual and the heel will appear to point downwards while the forefoot turns inward. It is not possible to place the foot flat. After the baby is delivered, a doctor can easily make a diagnosis based on a physical examination of the affected foot. Sometimes, diagnosis can be made on an ultrasound examination during a prenatal visit.

Clubfoot must be treated and if it is not properly treated, it will continue to get worse and become disabling. Most doctors suggest beginning treatment immediately. There are different treatment options available ranging from casting, stretching and manipulation to surgical treatment.

Comments: Clubfoot

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SydneeMay2009 - 123 days ago.
warriorgal-Not to get your hopes up too much, but my daughter was diagnosed by several doctors with clubfoot through ultrasound and was born with two perfectly normal feet!

warriorgal - 135 days ago.
kristymumof4- its comforting to hear that someone else has been through this. I would like to hear more. Iwill go over to your page.

kristymumof4 - 135 days ago.
hi my son now 6 had club feet it is nothing to worry about my sons feet are now perfect when he was born they just put him in casts to bend them back bit by bit

warriorgal - 145 days ago.
Anyone been diagnosed with abnormal fetal foot position on u/s or possible club foot? I am a bit nervous.

lin - 233 days ago.
my first son had left club foot, hypospadia and dialated brain ventricles. The ventricles corrected themselves, his hypospadia turned out to be very minor and his club foot was fixed with ponsetti method. Clubfoot is usually an isolated condition but can be associated with other anomolies as your first child and mine. I think that if the scan showed a healthy brain and no other signs of concern your daughters case is likely isolated.

sseaton - 239 days ago.
seaton I was just wondering if anyone has run into problems associated with club foot. Unfortunately I did not carry my previous baby to term - she had an underlying unknown condition that meant her brain didn't develop (neuronal migration disorder associated with limb abnormalities). She also had severe bil clubfoot. I am now 18 wks pregnant again (with a baby boy I think). I have just had a scan that showed bilateral clubfoot - I am terrified that this baby will also wnd up with the same condition as my baby girl had. Has anyone else had a similar experience.

momma80 - 247 days ago.
Wow I have been thru just about everything when my oldest son had Clubfeet!! My son Turned 9 yrs old last October and you would never have known he was born with club feet. He had serial castings for a few months every 2 wks. and then at 10 months old he had surgery on both feet. and he halso had Afos for awhile after.

lin - 263 days ago.
Thanks for sharing that link Angelia, very interesting. I also was a part of that support group on yahoo as well, havent visited much lately though. It was fantastic though! I also had the opportunity to access DR. Ponsetti's email address through that site and emailed him pictures of my son's foot. He emailed me back within a week! Very interesting to hear what he has to say!!

Angelia - 282 days ago.
For those interested in the research going on with club foot here's a link that they may have found a genetic link for why some are born with club foot. I think I may have my doctor contact Dr. Dobbs (they are friends and colleagues) to see if we can have the genetic test run on our son and my husband. With as many clubfoots and pigeon toed people that occur in his family in just the recent years we may have this genetic link or it may be another one that is a recent mutation. Also, I belong to an on-line support group through yahoo. If anyone wants the link to join just send me a message and I'd be happy to get you connected. http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/545664/

lauralou - 283 days ago.
my little boy was born with talipes in his right foot. he had 7 casts in total, each week they were replaced. He is now wearing the boots and bar for 23 hours a day. And ive got to say, i am sooo impressed with him. He had never moaned or whinged about them, and it isnt half as bad as i thought it was going to be. If anyone needs any advice or help im always here..xxx

Angelia - 307 days ago.
I'm now only one week away from going out of the shoes and bar except for sleeping time. I won't lie, it's been really hard to have him in the bar and shoes 23/7. On top of dealing with that I had post partum depression so it made it even harder. I'm so excited for next week. I wish I could say the 3 months went by fast, but they didn't for me... maybe ina year or so I'll look back and think how it wasn't that big of a deal.

Angelia - 359 days ago.
Lin - congratulations on the news! I know what you mean about cuddling without the casts, or boots and bar. Tristan is almost half-way done with the all day wearing. After his bath I let his feet do some extra air drying and I really love snuggling and playing with his feet then.

ghettobug - 375 days ago.
I have a 4 year old daughter that will be 5 in January. She was born with the most severe case of bilateral clubbed feet, and I had no idea that she had it or what it was until birth. She has been through a few surgeries, and was casted for 3 and a half years. We have done the AFO's, AFO's with the Dennis Brown Bar, and backward shoes with the Dennis Brown Bar. She still has problems with her feet, but my husband and I think they are the most beautiful things we have ever seen, Clubbed foot is also in my family and we have gone to geneticists, and been told that is is hereditary.

lin - 377 days ago.
probably very similar. My family has no history of a club foot, but each generation seemed to get more and more pigeon toed! until eventually my son was born pigeon toed enough they classified it as a club foot! His case was very minor, thank god...we were lucky and avoided any surgery including the tenotomy that most babies require!

maggiedee1002 - 377 days ago.
lin - that is great to hear! well when i did the amnio they checked for everything possisble and everything came back normal. i found out that on my sweety's side his cousin had a daughter who had a club foot, and my grandmother told me that my uncle had something like that too when he was lil, but i'm not exactly sure if it was the same thing.

lin - 379 days ago.
Had my ultrasound and so far it looks as though this baby will not have a club foot!! So excited! I cant wait to buy normal sleepers and cuddle a baby without a cast or clunky boots and bars!!

Angelia - 413 days ago.
We are pretty sure for my son it's a genetic link. On my husband's side of the family he had a neice and a sister with club foot. His sister's was as severe as erin's. She's needed lots of surgeries over the years. My husband just recently found out he had a foot that turned in (like pigeon toed) that they treated much like club foot. His mom thought he knew, but he didn't find out until a couple of weeks ago. His sister had genetic testing done. Her club foot was caused by the tip of chromosome 15 missing.

erin b - 421 days ago.
lin - Well my sister didn't have one, and I did. I'm the first in my family to be born with one. And the doc said theres no way of even predicting a percentage chance for my baby of being born with the defect. I suppose it could be different for some. There are some that have it because of genetics and some just because that's the way it goes.

lin - 422 days ago.
I agree erin, also things have progressed so much since you were a baby that its usually as simple as casting and a foot brace now! My son has had no surgery and his foot is completly corrected. It can be stressful at time dealing with the shoes and the casts especially if the baby resists either one, but I would take a club foot any day compared to the other things that could go wrong. Also are you sure its just hit and miss?? I have talked to a lot of women online since posting my comment that have mentioned having two or three children all with club foot. Makes me wonder if there is some genetic connection.

erin b - 422 days ago.
It's sort of a hit-and-miss kind of thing. Just because you have one baby with a clubfoot doesn't mean that the next will have one. I myself was born with a very severe club right foot. But that doesn't necessarilly mean that my baby will have one. And to all of the mothers that are upset about their babies having a club foot : I'm here to tell you that it's not that bad. Of course you don't want anything wrong with your baby. But compared to all of the other things that can happen, a clubfoot is easy to deal with. I had my first cast at one day old, and had 10 major surgeries and bone graphs by the time I was 15. I'm 26 now and just something I have to deal with. It's just an adjustment to daily activity, but it's easy to live with. GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE!!!

maggiedee1002 - 422 days ago.
i guess the chances might be rare.. it all depends cus we really dont even know what is the real reason for club feet.. i found out on my 20 week sono when they did the anatomy scan.

lin - 437 days ago.
does anyone know the chances of having a second baby with club foot? My first baby had a left club foot and I am pregnant again, just curious as to what the chances are this one will have it too. Also does anyone know how early they can detect it? With my first I didnt know until 25 weeks, i have an ultrasound at 12 weeks, can they tell then?

maggiedee1002 - 443 days ago.
Yeah, at my 20 week scan I too found out my daughter has bilateral club feet.. and at first I was so sad and worried but we did other testing and she is completely healthy on all other aspects so my saddness feel into relief because its fixable and now I'm just waiting for the day I see her for the first time! So EXCITED!!

Angelia - 444 days ago.
My little boy's foot looks exactly like this website's picture, you'd think they stole my picture! He had his first cast put on at 2wks of age. I cried BIG tears when the cast was put on my little man. He just had his second cast put on (he has them weekly) and I'm hoping we have the same success I've seen some others report they've had. Last week's cast didn't seem to bother him but this one seems to both him some.

lin - 486 days ago.
our experience was opposite! My son didnt mind the casts at all, didnt even seem to notice they were there... but the shoes...my oh my that was a struggle!