Clubfoot
(~ talipes equinovarus) |
Information
for health
professionals
on clubfoot |
What is
clubfoot (talipes): |
Clubfoot is a deformity of the
whole foot that is present at birth. There are several types of
clubfoot that are jointly known as 'talipes', as the deformity is
mostly in the talus (a bone in the ankle). The most common of the
talipes is what is known as "talipes equino varus" - it
is so common that the word clubfoot is commonly used to refer to
this. In talipes equino varus, the child is born with the foot pointing
down and twisted inwards at the ankle. |
The foot tends to be
smaller than normal. Some children with clubfoot have stiffer
joints in the foot and the calf muscles are usually smaller.
Clubfoot occurs in about 1 in 1000 births. Both males and females
are equally affected. In half of the cases, both feet are usually
affected.
Clubfoot must be treated,
it does not correct itself.
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Clubfoot
causes: |
There are two types of
clubfoot.
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The
more severe type is usually associated with other abnormalities
or problems such as spinal dysraphism, tethered cord, arthrogyrposis,
etc
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The second type of clubfoot is less severe and is often called
"idiopathic" as the cause is not known. The clubfoot
appearance at birth does resemble the position the foot is in
during early fetal development, so it is assumed that some unknown
cause halts the normal change of foot position during fetal
growth.
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What does
clubfoot look like (talipes): |
Clubfoot is usually noticed
by the doctor at birth. The foot is turning inwards at the ankle
and points down. The achilles tendon is tight. The front half
of the foot is turned inward, giving the foot a kidney bean shape.
If not corrected in infancy or if missed (not likely), the infant
will walk on the outside of the foot and not be able to get the
bottom of the foot flat on the ground. There maybe a decrease
in size of the calf muscles and the affected foot may be smaller
than the unaffected side.
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What is
the treatment for clubfoot (talipes): |
All cases of clubfoot
need treating - the earlier the better. Less severe and more flexible
types are casted - the more severe and rigid types need surgery.
Casting
A series of plaster or fibreglass casts are applied to the foot
and lower limb - these are replaced every few weeks, which each
cast progressively moving the foot towards a more corrected position.
The number of times the cast needs to be replaced will be determined
by the severity of the clubfoot (but several months is not unusual).
Most activities are not hampered by wearing a cast.
Surgery
If cast treatment fails or the clubfoot is rigid, surgery
may be needed. This is not usually done until the child is between
four and eight months of age.
There are a variety
of surgical procedures which may be done in isolation or in combination:
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Soft
tissue surgery that releases the tight tissues around the joints
and results in lengthening of tendons so the foot can assume
a more corrected position
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Bony
procedures such as "breaking bone" and resetting the
bone to correct deformities, or fusing joints together to stabilize
joints to enable the bones to grow solidly together.
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Tendon
transfers to move the tendons to a different position, so they
can move the foot into a corrected position.
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Links of
relevance to clubfoot (talipes): |
Foot
problems in the child
Footwear
for the child
ePodiatry's
database on clubfoot
Is
my child walking right?
Find
a podiatrist
Ask
a question in the foot health forum about clubfoot |
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Buy products
for foot problems: |
USA & Canada: |
UK & Europe: |
Australia & NZ: |
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ePodiatry is purely
a source of information about clubfoot and should at no time be
considered as replacing the expertise of a health professional.
We recommend seeking professional advice for talipes and all foot
problems before embarking on any form of self treatment or management.
Neither the content or any other service provided through ePodiatry
is intended to be relied on for medical diagnosis or treatment.
Do not delay in seeking health professional advice because of something
seen on ePodiatry. |
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©2003. The information
contained on this page about clubfoot and talipes is subject to
copyright. No part of the information about talipes and clubfoot
contained on this page can be reproduced in any form without the
permission of ePodiatry. |
Clubfoot
Talipes equinovarus |