How is clubfoot treated?
Treatment for clubfoot usually begins soon after birth, so the foot grows to be stable and positioned to bear weight for standing and moving comfortably. Nonsurgical treatments such as casting or splinting are usually tried first. The foot (or feet) is moved (manipulated) into the most normal position possible and held (immobilized) in that position until the next treatment. In Canada and the United States this is usually done with a cast, but in some countries strapping with adhesive tape or splinting is more common. This manipulation and immobilization procedure is repeated every 1 to 2 weeks for 2 to 4 months, moving the foot a little closer toward a normal position each time. Some children have enough improvement that the only further treatment is to keep the foot in the corrected position by splinting it as it grows. The two common methods of manipulation and casting are the “traditional” and the Ponseti (Iowa) methods. In traditional treatment, one position of the foot at a time
