Re: If the Ponseti Method is so great...

[Guest guest]

This often comes up (you're definitely not stirring up trouble- this

question plagues many of us)....and we'll never have a " good "

reason...here's a link to one of my more recent posts about this:

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/nosurgery4clubfoot/message/23037

You can read some of Dr. Ponseti's personal comments in the Global

HELP booklet about how he has been criticized by his peers for not

pushing/promoting his method more through the years. If you meet Dr.

Ponseti, you will see how this meek man's personality plays into

this.....he wasn't " forceful " in trying to get others to pay

attention to his published results...reading his words, and knowing

him like I do, I think it's a big regret of his, but I don't blame

him one bit- I'm just so glad that he took the time to write his book

in the 90's and that the internet has now made his

method " mainstream " ......I am certain that my daughter would have had

surgery if I had not had access to the internet at my job in the year

2000!

Congrats on your pregnancy & welcome to the board!

What doctor will you be seeing?

& (3-16-00)

left clubfoot, switched to Ponseti method at 4 mo. old

http://ponseticlubfoot.freeservers.com/

[Guest guest]

I believe that there are several reasons why some doctors refuse to believe

in the Ponseti Method...

1) they have not seen the results 1st hand

2) they don't realize the negative long term results of surgery (and if they

do, they don't care)

3) to admit that surgery is not the best alternative is to admit that they

have caused irreversible, lifelong and unnecessary pain to children

4) Surgery sounds simpler because it is a " quick fix " and doesn't clog up

their already busy office schedule as much (I have had people ask me several

times, " can't that be fixed by surgery? " as though wearing a DBB wasn't worth

the

trouble)

5) They are closed minded

6) They think that the results of surgery are just as good as the nonsurgical

method (or better than) because most ortho doctors are surgeons and therefore

surgery focused

7) Surgery is more expensive = more profit/hour

8) They lack the motivation to learn a new method of treatment and therefore

stick with what they know.....surgery

9) They think that Ponseti method is a silly fad or something of the like.

Similar to herbal remedies in their mind.

This is just my humble opinion. I work around doctors and they appear

to always search for the quick fix. Having pain...here take some

Percocet...still in pain? Try oxycontin. Still in pain? Must be nerves have a

Xanax.

Nevermind that the person will need rehab because of it. As some doctors say,

" We can't worry about that now, we'll deal with it later. " Passing the

buck...like most of America. No one cares unless its you or yours. I know that

sounds cynical, but most people are looking for the easiest way with the most

amount profit. Most doctors are no exception. That's why it takes us parents to

care and get educated to help make the difference.

Freeman

[Guest guest]

I believe that there are several reasons why some doctors refuse to believe

in the Ponseti Method...

1) they have not seen the results 1st hand

2) they don't realize the negative long term results of surgery (and if they

do, they don't care)

3) to admit that surgery is not the best alternative is to admit that they

have caused irreversible, lifelong and unnecessary pain to children

4) Surgery sounds simpler because it is a " quick fix " and doesn't clog up

their already busy office schedule as much (I have had people ask me several

times, " can't that be fixed by surgery? " as though wearing a DBB wasn't worth

the

trouble)

5) They are closed minded

6) They think that the results of surgery are just as good as the nonsurgical

method (or better than) because most ortho doctors are surgeons and therefore

surgery focused

7) Surgery is more expensive = more profit/hour

8) They lack the motivation to learn a new method of treatment and therefore

stick with what they know.....surgery

9) They think that Ponseti method is a silly fad or something of the like.

Similar to herbal remedies in their mind.

This is just my humble opinion. I work around doctors and they appear

to always search for the quick fix. Having pain...here take some

Percocet...still in pain? Try oxycontin. Still in pain? Must be nerves have a

Xanax.

Nevermind that the person will need rehab because of it. As some doctors say,

" We can't worry about that now, we'll deal with it later. " Passing the

buck...like most of America. No one cares unless its you or yours. I know that

sounds cynical, but most people are looking for the easiest way with the most

amount profit. Most doctors are no exception. That's why it takes us parents to

care and get educated to help make the difference.

Freeman

[Guest guest]

I believe that there are several reasons why some doctors refuse to believe

in the Ponseti Method...

1) they have not seen the results 1st hand

2) they don't realize the negative long term results of surgery (and if they

do, they don't care)

3) to admit that surgery is not the best alternative is to admit that they

have caused irreversible, lifelong and unnecessary pain to children

4) Surgery sounds simpler because it is a " quick fix " and doesn't clog up

their already busy office schedule as much (I have had people ask me several

times, " can't that be fixed by surgery? " as though wearing a DBB wasn't worth

the

trouble)

5) They are closed minded

6) They think that the results of surgery are just as good as the nonsurgical

method (or better than) because most ortho doctors are surgeons and therefore

surgery focused

7) Surgery is more expensive = more profit/hour

8) They lack the motivation to learn a new method of treatment and therefore

stick with what they know.....surgery

9) They think that Ponseti method is a silly fad or something of the like.

Similar to herbal remedies in their mind.

This is just my humble opinion. I work around doctors and they appear

to always search for the quick fix. Having pain...here take some

Percocet...still in pain? Try oxycontin. Still in pain? Must be nerves have a

Xanax.

Nevermind that the person will need rehab because of it. As some doctors say,

" We can't worry about that now, we'll deal with it later. " Passing the

buck...like most of America. No one cares unless its you or yours. I know that

sounds cynical, but most people are looking for the easiest way with the most

amount profit. Most doctors are no exception. That's why it takes us parents to

care and get educated to help make the difference.

Freeman

[Guest guest]

Those are also the reasons that a Ponseti Certified doctor is important

enough that we as parents are willing to travel to see one. If a doctor is

willing

to get educated and trained about the method then you know he must believe

and care for the patient he/she is treating.

Freeman

[Guest guest]

Those are also the reasons that a Ponseti Certified doctor is important

enough that we as parents are willing to travel to see one. If a doctor is

willing

to get educated and trained about the method then you know he must believe

and care for the patient he/she is treating.

Freeman

[Guest guest]

Those are also the reasons that a Ponseti Certified doctor is important

enough that we as parents are willing to travel to see one. If a doctor is

willing

to get educated and trained about the method then you know he must believe

and care for the patient he/she is treating.

Freeman

[Guest guest]

PS. I didn't mean to put all doctors into a bucket as though they were all

bad...there are some really great ones out there. It just seems like you

really have to look to find them. It shouldn't be that way. It makes me sad.

But

my cynicism might be due (in part) to the field of my nursing experience.

Freeman

[Guest guest]

Yeah, that is funny. We must have read and responded to my post at the same

time because as soon as I read it I realized what I had done. It is true that

doctors are people, some good, some bad.

Freeman

[Guest guest]

Thanks for your reply, that previous post with the comments from the

dr. was somewhat helpful. I just can't help but be somewhat annoyed

with the medical community on this one, Dr. Ponseti was perfecting his

method more than 50 years ago -- if they had just paid attention to

his results I probably wouldn't have so many problems with my foot at

age 36. It just seems crazy that it has taken 50 years for the method

to start becoming mainstream.

Thanks,

> This often comes up (you're definitely not stirring up trouble- this

> question plagues many of us)....and we'll never have a " good "

> reason...here's a link to one of my more recent posts about this:

> http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/nosurgery4clubfoot/message/23037

>

> You can read some of Dr. Ponseti's personal comments in the Global

> HELP booklet about how he has been criticized by his peers for not

> pushing/promoting his method more through the years. If you meet Dr.

> Ponseti, you will see how this meek man's personality plays into

> this.....he wasn't " forceful " in trying to get others to pay

> attention to his published results...reading his words, and knowing

> him like I do, I think it's a big regret of his, but I don't blame

> him one bit- I'm just so glad that he took the time to write his book

> in the 90's and that the internet has now made his

> method " mainstream " ......I am certain that my daughter would have had

> surgery if I had not had access to the internet at my job in the year

> 2000!

> Congrats on your pregnancy & welcome to the board!

> What doctor will you be seeing?

> & (3-16-00)

> left clubfoot, switched to Ponseti method at 4 mo. old

> http://ponseticlubfoot.freeservers.com/

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

I'm so sorry to hear that you have problems with your foot and I can

understand your anger, I think it's justified. My 32 year old cousin

feels the same way you do. He was born with one clubfoot. Although he

hasn't had severe problems recently (yet), he had to have two operations

(at the age of 1 and 6), was in casts for more than a year and had to

sleep in corrective shoes until about the age of 10. He has always been

a little worried about having children one day, in case they have

clubfeet too. My cousin is extremely happy that we found out about Dr

Ponseti in time and that our baby son could be treated by him last year.

My aunt cried when we found out about the Ponseti method, because she

felt guilty that she hadn't known about it 32 years ago. Of course it

would have been impossible in those days, from South Africa to Iowa!

At least now the word is getting out more, thanks to the power of the

internet, Dr Ponseti's book and more Ponseti doctors qualifying all the

time. I have made it a personal mission to get the word out in our

country as much as I can, through my website and media publicity. I'm

pleased that I have managed to get a lot of babies away from operating

doctors to Ponseti ones. It's very rewarding and helps me to feel that

the situation is not as bad as it used to be.

I have asked some doctors what they think the reasons are, they always

seem to come up with the same three:

- Ego ( " my surgery is excellent, why bother with anything else " )

- Tradition (surgeons tend to stick with what their mentors teach them

and they are suspicious of anything 'new', no matter that it is 50 years

old and well-documented)

- Money (it sounds cynical, but surgery is a quick fix and profitable

way to correct feet)

Wishing you the best of everything,

and

24 Jan 2003, bilateral cf

www.clubfoot.co.za

Re: If the Ponseti Method is so great...

Thanks for your reply, that previous post with the comments from the

dr. was somewhat helpful. I just can't help but be somewhat annoyed

with the medical community on this one, Dr. Ponseti was perfecting his

method more than 50 years ago -- if they had just paid attention to

his results I probably wouldn't have so many problems with my foot at

age 36. It just seems crazy that it has taken 50 years for the method

to start becoming mainstream.

Thanks,