Once clubfoot is corrected with Ponseti plaster application and tendoachilles tenotomy, it’s time to maintain the correction of foot till child is grown more and started walking well. There is risk of clubfoot recurring without proper bracing.
Recurrent clubfoot without bracing
Types of braces
Steinbeck device, Iowa Brace and Dobbs Brace are commonly used clubfoot Foot Abduction Orthosis.
Dobbs brace in particular has the added advantage of providing extra mobility to the child potentially improving compliance. Comparatively it’s more expensive.
Compliance
In rural India it’s especially difficult to ensure compliance to orthosis for parents as many feel clubfoot treatment finishes with Ponseti casting. Social issues and sensitivity of going out of home with brace fitted is one of the issues that makes parent fall out. Some of them don’t spend enough time learning to put it on and take it off and give up once child starts crying. It’s an easy procedure that we teach aling with nurses and orthotists to help parents during initial days.
Among the pediatric orthopedic problems, Club Foot is one of the commonest.
It is a curving congenital deformity of the child’s foot. The knowledge of the deformity may come to light after birth and is traumatic for the parents. Thankfully treatment is simple, streamlined and gives good result. We apply POP casts to the foot every week and usually the foot corrects by 6 plasters. A small release of the heel cord may be required after the correction to complete the initial treatment. There after the foot is placed in special shoes and mother instructed on exercises.
We have been dealing with large number of these children, educating their parents and care givers about the clubfoot that they stick through the initial treatment and subsequent follow up till mature.
This is important so that any recurrence which is seen occasionally after a successful correction is addressed promptly. This translates to less surgery, if possible avoid surgery totally leaving a supple, scarless and beautiful foot.
Clubfoot Plaster
As the Pediatric Orthopedic service has matured at Palakkad District Cooperative Hospital, Palakkad, Kerala, India, we have now decided to allocate Monday as the special day for clubfoot children . This enables us to streamline our services and parents to learn from each other and support each other through this.
We hope that this will help serve them better.
All appointments can be booked via the contact page or via the CPOS clinic / hospital through phone +919840724924 or +914912520391
I have created a Facebook Community to foster awareness about Paediatric Orthopaedic Limb & Spine Deformities, Bone Dysplasias, Growth Disturbances and Rare Orthopaedic Disorders in Children.
Paediatric Orthopaedic Problems cover a varied spectrum of disorders that require extensive training to handle well.These include congenital (birth defects) of limbs, scoliosis, hip and foot deformities, metabolic disroders like rickets, dysplasias, bone and joint infections and trauma (fractures).
May be you would have seen a child known to you with a bone problem, or may be one of your dear ones has a problem and didnt know whom to ask. Many parents delay the treatment either because of financial constraints or delay seeking treatment thinking that nothing can be done. Awareness is very important. With a specialised Paediatric Orthopaedic and Limb Deformity Surgeons advise these children can get better results it treatment is started early.
This Community will help parents discuss matters pertaining to treatment of these conditions. I will also be posting awareness articles, images periodically.
Please visit my Facebook Page to join, like and share the group. Please help raise awareness among general public that these children can get specialised treatment and can improve their quality of life.