RE: Can anyone tell me what kind of clubfoot this is? Any others out there like it?

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

The pictures of your daughter's feet show very well what you are describing.

I'm not any kind of expert, but it looks like she only has one part of the

deformity. Clubfoot is called talipes equinovarus, and your daughter seems

to only have the " equino " part where the heel cord is very tight (like a

horse- equus). The talipes part means " talus " or ankle and " pes " is foot.

Varus is the part where the foot is turned in (so the soles would be

facing).

But certainly the deformities can look different on each child. Sometimes

how bad it looks is not an indication of how severe it is or how hard to

correct. It seems to be more how supple the foot is. So feet can also look

pretty good, but still be very tight and need more correction.

The foot abduction brace (FAB) (a more accurate name for what we sometimes

call the Dennis Brown Bar or Brace) holds correction against the varus and

the equus. Again, I'm not an expert, maybe you could send pictures to Dr.

Ponseti to see if he thought the angle of your FAB should be less given your

daughter's lack of varus.

HTH, good luck,

-

Emma 18-10-99. Montreal, Canada

moderately severe bilateral clubfoot

3 months unsuccessful local casting pending surgery

corrected by Dr. Ponseti with 3 casts & tenotomy

out of FAB too early, just before 2 yrs old (loose ligaments)

relapse, ATTT at 4 years old, doing great.

Can anyone tell me what kind of clubfoot

this is? Any others out there like it?

Hi Everyone,

I just discovered this group. Ordinarily, I'm the type who would seek out

support and

information from day one but since the baby was born I hardly ever get to

the

computer anymore!

My daughter was born with bilateral club feet. They don't look like the

other club feet

I have found pictures of so far. Her toes pointed straight down and the

feet didn't

turn towards each other. Here's a link to pictures of her feet after the

first cast

change: http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/r/l/rlg187/clubfoot/

Devlin was casted at 12 days old, and she had a tenotomy at 7+ weeks old.

She is

being treated at DuPont Children's Hospital in Delaware. She is now 10

weeks old and

will be getting her casts off and get a brace next week. I _think_ they're

planning to

give her the " Denis Brown " type of brace. It seems to me like that kind

wouldn't be as

good at maintaining the correction for this type of club foot as the

" typical " kind, but I

don't know much!

Is there anyone else out there with this type of club foot? Does anyone

know what it's

called? What type of bracing or splinting seems to work best in this kind

of case? Is

anyone else being treated at DuPont?

Thanks so much for your advice and support. I wish I had found this site

earlier!

[Guest guest]

Hi and welcome!

I hope you can find some information to help you. Your daughter's

case does indeed seem a bit different. Did the front part of her feet

never point inward, or heels tilt sideways, even before the first

cast? Are her feet the only issue you're dealing with? Is she

otherwise doing well?

One thought I have, is to suggest you contact Dr. Herzenberg, of

Sinai Hospital in Baltimore. He's one of the very best on the East

Coast for clubfoot, and skilled in treatment with the Ponseti method,

and happens to be near you. It could be worth it to see him just for

another opinion. Here's his website, with info on how to contact him:

http://www.lifebridgehealth.org/sinaibody.cfm?id=2360

And as suggested, you could contact Dr. Ponseti. There isn't

anyone in the world who knows more about clubfoot than he. Let us

know if you would like his contact info.

Continued good luck,

and Claire,

born with unilateral clubfoot, now age 3 1/2

> Hi Everyone,

>

> I just discovered this group. Ordinarily, I'm the type who would

seek out support and

> information from day one but since the baby was born I hardly ever

get to the

> computer anymore!

>

> My daughter was born with bilateral club feet. They don't look

like the other club feet

> I have found pictures of so far. Her toes pointed straight down

and the feet didn't

> turn towards each other. Here's a link to pictures of her feet

after the first cast

> change: http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/r/l/rlg187/clubfoot/

>

> Devlin was casted at 12 days old, and she had a tenotomy at 7+

weeks old. She is

> being treated at DuPont Children's Hospital in Delaware. She is

now 10 weeks old and

> will be getting her casts off and get a brace next week. I _think_

they're planning to

> give her the " Denis Brown " type of brace. It seems to me like that

kind wouldn't be as

> good at maintaining the correction for this type of club foot as

the " typical " kind, but I

> don't know much!

>

> Is there anyone else out there with this type of club foot? Does

anyone know what it's

> called? What type of bracing or splinting seems to work best in

this kind of case? Is

> anyone else being treated at DuPont?

>

> Thanks so much for your advice and support. I wish I had found

this site earlier!

>

>

[Guest guest]

I completely agree. This looks like only half of the deformity, and

yes... send pictures to Dr. Ponseti! I have printed off the pictures

myself to show to my sons doctor @ Childrens Memorial Hospital in

Chicago(he had bilateral clubfoot, quite severely). His appointment

is tomorrow, he is finally moving into the next size of DBB/shoes.

They get so big so fast!

Laurie - Vinny's mommy

> Hi ,

>

> The pictures of your daughter's feet show very well what you are

describing.

> I'm not any kind of expert, but it looks like she only has one part

of the

> deformity. Clubfoot is called talipes equinovarus, and your

daughter seems

> to only have the " equino " part where the heel cord is very tight

(like a

> horse- equus). The talipes part means " talus " or ankle and " pes "

is foot.

> Varus is the part where the foot is turned in (so the soles would be

> facing).

>

> But certainly the deformities can look different on each child.

Sometimes

> how bad it looks is not an indication of how severe it is or how

hard to

> correct. It seems to be more how supple the foot is. So feet can

also look

> pretty good, but still be very tight and need more correction.

>

> The foot abduction brace (FAB) (a more accurate name for what we

sometimes

> call the Dennis Brown Bar or Brace) holds correction against the

varus and

> the equus. Again, I'm not an expert, maybe you could send pictures

to Dr.

> Ponseti to see if he thought the angle of your FAB should be less

given your

> daughter's lack of varus.

>

> HTH, good luck,

> -

>

> Emma 18-10-99. Montreal, Canada

> moderately severe bilateral clubfoot

> 3 months unsuccessful local casting pending surgery

> corrected by Dr. Ponseti with 3 casts & tenotomy

> out of FAB too early, just before 2 yrs old (loose ligaments)

> relapse, ATTT at 4 years old, doing great.

>

> Can anyone tell me what kind of

clubfoot

> this is? Any others out there like it?

>

>

> Hi Everyone,

>

> I just discovered this group. Ordinarily, I'm the type who would

seek out

> support and

> information from day one but since the baby was born I hardly ever

get to

> the

> computer anymore!

>

> My daughter was born with bilateral club feet. They don't look

like the

> other club feet

> I have found pictures of so far. Her toes pointed straight down

and the

> feet didn't

> turn towards each other. Here's a link to pictures of her feet

after the

> first cast

> change: http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/r/l/rlg187/clubfoot/

>

> Devlin was casted at 12 days old, and she had a tenotomy at 7+

weeks old.

> She is

> being treated at DuPont Children's Hospital in Delaware. She is

now 10

> weeks old and

> will be getting her casts off and get a brace next week. I _think_

they're

> planning to

> give her the " Denis Brown " type of brace. It seems to me like that

kind

> wouldn't be as

> good at maintaining the correction for this type of club foot as the

> " typical " kind, but I

> don't know much!

>

> Is there anyone else out there with this type of club foot? Does

anyone

> know what it's

> called? What type of bracing or splinting seems to work best in

this kind

> of case? Is

> anyone else being treated at DuPont?

>

> Thanks so much for your advice and support. I wish I had found

this site

> earlier!

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

,

You say that those photos were AFTER the first cast. That is how the feet

SHOULD look after the first cast. One of the first things the doctor does is to

supinate the foot, which means to make the toes point downward. Once the

tenotomy is done, her feet will no longer point down like that.

The Dennis Browne brace is the most effective brace for preventing clubfoot

relapse. It helps to hold the foot in dorsiflexion (flexed up a bit , like if

you flex your own foot up towards your shin) and to hold the exterior rotation

(turn your foot out to the side) that helps prevent the muscles and ligaments

from tightening back up and making the clubfoot come back. Even the the custom

made brace - used for children whose feet wont stay in the normal shoes

- is made in the " dennis Browne " style. Some doctors use AFO's, but Dr Ponseti

showed many years ago that in *most* cases, an AFO is not near as effective as a

DBB (Dennis Browne Bar) in holding correction, expecially since they do not hold

exterior rotation. There are some here who use a combination of AFO's and DBB,

but those children tend to have other issues than just clubfoot.

Please do not hesitate to ask any and all questions you may have. Your doctor,

from the sounds of it, is using the Ponseti Method. It is one of the least

invasive methods available for treating clubfoot, and has been proven successful

for over 50 years. If you want, you can also e-mail or call Dr. Ponseti (I dont

have the address or phone # handy, but someone will provide them for you).

Also, Dr. Colburn in California will answer e-mails, as will Dr. Mosca in

Seattle, as well as several other well experienced Ponseti Method doctors.

Anytime you think you might want a second opinion, do not hesitate to contact

another doctor. You can find e-mail and phone addresses here:

http://www.vh.org/pediatric/patient/orthopaedics/clubfeet/physicians.html

Hope this was of some help to you. :-)

Angel

Can anyone tell me what kind of clubfoot this is?

Any others out there like it?

Hi Everyone,

I just discovered this group. Ordinarily, I'm the type who would seek out

support and

information from day one but since the baby was born I hardly ever get to the

computer anymore!

My daughter was born with bilateral club feet. They don't look like the other

club feet

I have found pictures of so far. Her toes pointed straight down and the feet

didn't

turn towards each other. Here's a link to pictures of her feet after the first

cast

change: http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/r/l/rlg187/clubfoot/

Devlin was casted at 12 days old, and she had a tenotomy at 7+ weeks old. She

is

being treated at DuPont Children's Hospital in Delaware. She is now 10 weeks

old and

will be getting her casts off and get a brace next week. I _think_ they're

planning to

give her the " Denis Brown " type of brace. It seems to me like that kind

wouldn't be as

good at maintaining the correction for this type of club foot as the " typical "

kind, but I

don't know much!

Is there anyone else out there with this type of club foot? Does anyone know

what it's

called? What type of bracing or splinting seems to work best in this kind of

case? Is

anyone else being treated at DuPont?

Thanks so much for your advice and support. I wish I had found this site

earlier!

[Guest guest]

Hi -

You're right it doesn't " look " like the normal clubfoot so to speak, because

of the downward angle of them. Is your doctor practicing the Ponseti

Method? If your daughter had a tenonomy I would think the DBB would still be

helpful because it keeps the achilles down, so it doesn't go back up into

the heel. Perhaps your child wouldn't need them (the shoes) rotated out as

far, since her feet don't turn in. I think the best advice I would give you

is to send those same pictures via email to Dr. Ponseti himself. You do not

need to be a patient for him to advise you. He is always more than helpful

to give suggestions. His email is: ignacio-ponseti@.... Just email a

description to him like you did below and attach the pictures. If anyone has

seen a similiar clubfoot then it is Dr. Ponseti himself:) Best of luck and

welcome to our board!

>

>Reply-To: nosurgery4clubfoot

>To: nosurgery4clubfoot

>Subject: Can anyone tell me what kind of clubfoot this

>is? Any others out there like it?

>Date: Thu, 18 Mar 2004 03:26:43 -0000

>

>Hi Everyone,

>

>I just discovered this group. Ordinarily, I'm the type who would seek out

>support and

>information from day one but since the baby was born I hardly ever get to

>the

>computer anymore!

>

>My daughter was born with bilateral club feet. They don't look like the

>other club feet

>I have found pictures of so far. Her toes pointed straight down and the

>feet didn't

>turn towards each other. Here's a link to pictures of her feet after the

>first cast

>change: http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/r/l/rlg187/clubfoot/

>

>Devlin was casted at 12 days old, and she had a tenotomy at 7+ weeks old.

>She is

>being treated at DuPont Children's Hospital in Delaware. She is now 10

>weeks old and

>will be getting her casts off and get a brace next week. I _think_ they're

>planning to

>give her the " Denis Brown " type of brace. It seems to me like that kind

>wouldn't be as

>good at maintaining the correction for this type of club foot as the

> " typical " kind, but I

>don't know much!

>

>Is there anyone else out there with this type of club foot? Does anyone

>know what it's

>called? What type of bracing or splinting seems to work best in this kind

>of case? Is

>anyone else being treated at DuPont?

>

>Thanks so much for your advice and support. I wish I had found this site

>earlier!

>

>

>

>

>

_________________________________________________________________

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[Guest guest]

,

Angel's post made me think of something else.. you can see at the

following website the progress of a little girl named , and see

her feet after each cast; after the first they too are pointing

downward but not inward as much either anymore.

http://members.aol.com/vc11/week2.htm

Does this seem about the same as it was for your daughter?

Does your doctor say her feet are different from the typical case, or

are you just wondering it?

Hope all's well..

> ,

>

> You say that those photos were AFTER the first cast. That is how

the feet SHOULD look after the first cast. One of the first things

the doctor does is to supinate the foot, which means to make the toes

point downward. Once the tenotomy is done, her feet will no longer

point down like that.

>

> The Dennis Browne brace is the most effective brace for preventing

clubfoot relapse. It helps to hold the foot in dorsiflexion (flexed

up a bit , like if you flex your own foot up towards your shin) and

to hold the exterior rotation (turn your foot out to the side) that

helps prevent the muscles and ligaments from tightening back up and

making the clubfoot come back. Even the the custom made

brace - used for children whose feet wont stay in the normal shoes -

is made in the " dennis Browne " style. Some doctors use AFO's, but Dr

Ponseti showed many years ago that in *most* cases, an AFO is not

near as effective as a DBB (Dennis Browne Bar) in holding correction,

expecially since they do not hold exterior rotation. There are some

here who use a combination of AFO's and DBB, but those children tend

to have other issues than just clubfoot.

>

> Please do not hesitate to ask any and all questions you may have.

Your doctor, from the sounds of it, is using the Ponseti Method. It

is one of the least invasive methods available for treating clubfoot,

and has been proven successful for over 50 years. If you want, you

can also e-mail or call Dr. Ponseti (I dont have the address or phone

# handy, but someone will provide them for you). Also, Dr. Colburn

in California will answer e-mails, as will Dr. Mosca in Seattle, as

well as several other well experienced Ponseti Method doctors.

Anytime you think you might want a second opinion, do not hesitate to

contact another doctor. You can find e-mail and phone addresses here:

>

http://www.vh.org/pediatric/patient/orthopaedics/clubfeet/physicians.h

tml

>

> Hope this was of some help to you. :-)

>

> Angel

>

> Can anyone tell me what kind of

clubfoot this is? Any others out there like it?

>

>

> Hi Everyone,

>

> I just discovered this group. Ordinarily, I'm the type who would

seek out support and

> information from day one but since the baby was born I hardly ever

get to the

> computer anymore!

>

> My daughter was born with bilateral club feet. They don't look

like the other club feet

> I have found pictures of so far. Her toes pointed straight down

and the feet didn't

> turn towards each other. Here's a link to pictures of her feet

after the first cast

> change: http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/r/l/rlg187/clubfoot/

>

> Devlin was casted at 12 days old, and she had a tenotomy at 7+

weeks old. She is

> being treated at DuPont Children's Hospital in Delaware. She is

now 10 weeks old and

> will be getting her casts off and get a brace next week. I _think_

they're planning to

> give her the " Denis Brown " type of brace. It seems to me like that

kind wouldn't be as

> good at maintaining the correction for this type of club foot as

the " typical " kind, but I

> don't know much!

>

> Is there anyone else out there with this type of club foot? Does

anyone know what it's

> called? What type of bracing or splinting seems to work best in

this kind of case? Is

> anyone else being treated at DuPont?

>

> Thanks so much for your advice and support. I wish I had found

this site earlier!

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>