Clubfoot repair

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Club foot repair - series

Overview

Recovery

Risks

Clubfoot repair

Definition:

Clubfoot repair is surgical correction of a birth deformity of the foot and ankle (clubfoot).

Alternative Names:

Repair of clubfoot; Foot tendon release; Clubfoot release

Description:

The type and extent of surgery depends on the how severe the deformity is. The defect involves tight tendons and ligaments in the foot and ankle. The surgery involves lengthening some tendons and releasing tight ligaments to place the bones and joints in normal positions. Sometimes, pins are temporarily placed in the foot and a cast is applied after surgery to maintain its position while it heals.

Indications:

The newborn's clubfoot is initially treated with casts. The tendons, ligaments, and bones are still quite flexible in a newborn and are somewhat easy to reposition. The foot is stretched into a more normal position and a light-weight cast is applied to retain the corrected position.

The cast will be removed every week so the foot can be further stretched into better position and maintained with a new cast. This series of casting is continued for approximately 2 months, and is successful in at least 50 - 90% of cases.

If the casts do not provide enough correction of the clubfoot, surgery is considered. Surgery is also considered if the clubfoot is recurrent (happens after being treated previously), or if it is associated with neuromuscular disorders or syndromes.

Review Date: 12/1/2004
Reviewed By: David M. Scher, MD, Hospital for Special Surgery, New York, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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