Clubfoot is a disease that occurs in infancy and is characterized by one or both of a person's feet being slightly inward and downward while standing in their natural position. While some of the patients have only one foot, about half of them have both feet.
The cause of clubfoot is not clearly explained, but research has shown that about 1/3 of twin siblings have this disease. Therefore, it is thought that there may be a genetic predisposition to the disease.
This disorder, which is also thought to be caused by the baby's posture disorder in the womb, can be detected in the 16th week of pregnancy with detailed ultrasound imaging with the development of medical technology. In some cases, this condition may not be recognized due to the baby's posture disorder in the womb, but it can be easily diagnosed after the baby is born.
It can be understood whether the feet are turned inward or not thanks to some controls to be performed as soon as the baby is born. In the examination to be performed by the physician;
- The foot beam is high,
- Turning the thumb inward,
- Turning the heel inward,
- It can be diagnosed with findings such as the ankle pointing downwards.
The most distinctive feature of clubfoot is that the curvature of the foot is not corrected when it is tried to be corrected.
Can clubfoot be treated?
In the treatment of clubfoot, the feet are stretched with a special maneuver performed by specialist physicians and a plaster cast extending to the groin is applied. This cast stays on the baby's foot for about a week and a visible improvement in the feet occurs as a result of this one-week process. Afterwards, a second cast is applied with a special maneuver by a specialist physician. Depending on the improvement, this process is repeated for about 1 month. At the end of 1 month, the feet are returned to their natural position.
At the end of 1 month, the feet are checked again and it is checked whether they can flex comfortably above 20 degrees. If the feet are flexed comfortably and the heel bone is in place, the treatment is completed.
If the heel bone is not in place at the end of the treatment or if the feet cannot be flexed comfortably, then a simple surgical operation is performed to lengthen the Achilles tendon. At the end of the operation, the foot is re-plastered and the patient is then fitted with orthotic shoes that maintain the shape of the foot. In order to get positive results from this treatment, the patient must wear the shoes for 23 hours a day and this routine must continue for 3 months.
