Your Childrens Health

In the past, clubfoot was thought to have been caused by Baby’s position in the uterus.  Experts now believe that it is caused by environmental factors; heredity; nerve diseases; spina bifida; or muscle diseases.

This condition that affects 1 in 400 babies, and boys more often than girls, occurs in three forms.  The first and most common is called calcaneal valgus.  This type of clubfoot causes the foot to turn upward and upward from the heel. 

The second and most severe type of clubfoot is called equinovarus. This causes the foot to twist inward and downward.  When both feet are affected, the child’s toes will actually point towards each other.

The third and mildest form of clubfoot is called metatarsus varus.  The front of the foot turns inwards. 

Clubfoot is not painful, but it can impede your child’s ability to stand or walk to different degrees, depending on the severity.  The foot cannot move up and down as it should in a normal walking motion.  With early treatment, your child may receive an exercise regimen, surgery, or plaster casts and go on to walk normally. 

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This entry was posted on Friday, May 19th, 2006 at 3:13 am and is filed under Uncategorized, Medical Care. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.