Clubfoot Treatment

What Is Clubfoot?

Clubfoot is a congenital disorder, present at birth. Babies born with clubfoot have short leg tendons that attach muscles to bones in the foot. This causes a baby’s foot (or sometimes both feet) to rotate inward. This rotation can be so severe that the child’s foot faces sideways or upward. Clubfoot looks awkward, but your child isn’t in pain.

The condition sometimes runs in families, but sometimes there is no obvious reason why a clubfoot occurs. Left untreated, a child with clubfoot may become permanently disabled.

Treating Club Foot at UH Rainbow

Having a newborn baby with a clubfoot can seem overwhelming. But at UH Rainbow we provide you with access to specialists with years of experience treating clubfoot.

Our pediatric orthopedists use the Ponseti method, the gold standard of clubfoot treatment for non-surgical correction of clubfeet. This method involves slow and gentle stretching to correct the foot using a series of casts. Having an excellent orthopedic or cast technician is crucial during this process.

A small surgery is sometimes needed at the end of casting. For this surgery, you have access to our highly trained pediatric orthopedic surgeons and specialized pediatric anesthesiologists at our family-friendly Prentiss Operating Center.

After casting, children wear a special brace for up to two years, but this will not stop them from walking and running when they are ready.

Continuum of Care from First Diagnosis to Follow-Up Visits

We offer prenatal consultations for those who are aware of a clubfoot diagnosis prior to birth and have questions or just want to understand the treatment options. This also helps gain access to early treatment after your baby is born.

While we see you weekly for treatment during the casting process, follow up after the treatment is complete can be done at locations close to you. We will follow your child through their bracing process and then annually until about age 8.