General Information regarding Foot
Foot consists of various muscles, bones, joints and ligaments. The nerves traveling in the foot area are another important component of the foot. Certain disorders, mostly caused due to negligence, may lead to dysfunction of foot. Even the minor injury or complications caused by diseases like rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis etc can lead to temporary dysfunction of foot. To avoid such possibility of foot dysfunction, that affects our normal life, we must pay adequate attention towards hygiene and up keep of foot. If any abnormality develops, never ignore it, consult your doctor and get it treated immediately. There are number of abnormalities associated with the foot. Clubfoot is one of such abnormalities, which is normally present since birth.
Description of Clubfoot
The clubfoot condition is characterized by inward and downward position of the foot. Usually, such disorder is present since birth.
Clubfoot is also known by other two names, Talipes and Talipes equinovarus, in medical terminology.
Clubfoot may be either mild or severe in nature. Clubfoot may affect only one foot or both feet at a time. Generally, one child out of 1,000 new born babies has this disorder at birth.
Causes responsible for occurrence of Clubfoot
The exact cause behind occurrence of clubfoot condition (which is present at birth) is not yet ascertained. Scientists are making all efforts to establish causes and factors contributing towards development of clubfoot.
Sings and Symptoms of Clubfoot
As clubfoot condition is present at birth, inward and downward turned feet position, that resists realignment, is considered as the main symptom of clubfoot. Abnormal (slightly smaller) size of foot and calf muscle is another common symptom of clubfoot.
Diagnosis of Clubfoot
The inward and downward turned position of the foot and mis-alignment of foot, which are the main symptoms, are visible by physical examination. However, your doctor may conduct a X-ray investigation to ascertain intensity of the condition.
Treatment of Clubfoot
There are few remedies available for treatment of clubfoot. Following are the most commonly used remedies. |
Physiotherapy, casting and surgery are the three main treatments.
Casting: Casting can be started on the day of birth or within several weeks after birth. In this procedure, the orthopedist pushes and twists the foot into an over corrected position and then cast is applied to ensure holding of foot in the same position. Casts used in this procedure are generally changed at an interval of fortnight.
Physiotherapy: It is a non-surgical treatment option. Generally, physiotherapy is started after child becomes more than three months old. The physiotherapist tapes or manipulates the foot.
Surgery is normally recommended for children above the age of six months.
If clubfoot is not treated in time this may lead to difficulty in walking properly for child. The child will walk on the outside top of the foot. The child also becomes prone development of other medical conditions like hard skin, ingrown toenails and corns. |
