Any one have experince with club foot?

twinsinabq

I am expecting twins in the next few weeks and one looks like he will have a club foot. We have met with a poditrist that specializes in pediatrics. he only offers the Ponsetti method for treatment. im sure the method works well but the idea of putting my son in a scary looking brace for 4 years freaks me out. Has anyone had a child with club foot and used this for treatment?  i have a younger brother that had surgery in the early 90's for a club foot but that no longer seems to be an option where i live ( i am in new mexico)  Any drs or clinics within NM that offer treatment differant than the Ponsetti method? i have contacted the childrens hospital and they only do surgery in extreme cases. Any advice is appericated

lboers

hi! my baby will be born with two club feet. i obviously don't have experience with this yet so i won't be much help. she has a diease that causes club feet so we have been more focused on that than talking about treatment for her feet (until she gets here anyway). i'm in canada and was told that they only do surgery if the bone is affected too. otherwise it'll be casting and braces (i'm not sure which methods are available. i was just really surprised that they told you it would take 4 years. i've not had anyone give me a timeline like that yet but through researching on the internet it seems like more of a two year treatment. i'm sure other girls on here will be able to help you more but don't get too freaked out yet! good luck!

Rhinannon

I apologize in advance about the length of this response.

DS is 9 months old, and was casted for three weeks then went into the Mitchell Shoes (the brace you mention).  I would ONLY go to a Ponsetti doctor, and you're lucky to have found one - the only ones in Atlanta are not taking new patients.  We started with a non-Ponsetti doctor, and she waffled back and forth between casting and the braces.  We had to get DS used to the braces twice before I left that doctor and took DS to a Ponsetti doctor.  (DS didn't mind the casting too much, but getting used to the brace was a tough three days each time - I did not give him Tylonel back then, and I wish I would have to relieve is discomfort a bit).  The brace is scary at first, but if you start treatment early, he or she won't know anything else, and so it's no big deal to the baby.  The main challenge will be making sure he/she will not knock around the twin with the brace once they starting rolling and crawling.   

DS has the brace off for 8 hours a day now, and will soon have it on only at night.  He will continue to wear it at night until he is 4-5 (since they grow so much, doctors want to make sure the tendons, etc. keep growing in the right direction).  I have read so much about relapses at ages 5 and above, that I am committed to the Ponsetti method which is 4 years. A good group to join is the Yahoo! No Surgery Clubfoot group - very helpful people with great suggestions. 

I am a fan of BabyLegs for many reasons, but they worked great for the casting (DS only has one club foot, so only one leg was casted, so we just threw a BabyLeg on the other leg).  You can also use the BabyLegs over the cast(s) which will protect it from getting pooped on. Plus they are cute and fun.

 For his brace, we covered the metal bar that is between the shoes with pipe insulation, then covered that with a BabyLeg.  It protects the furniture (and me when he kicks!) and is super cool.  He has one with flames that my 3 yr old nephew calls his "rockets."

Best part about the brace? Changing diapers is a breeze becuase you just pick up the bar - don't have to wrestle two wiggly little feet.  

All in all, a club foot was no big deal for us, especially because we were prepared.  Congrats on your little ones, and I hope you have a fabulous pregnancy and uneventful, easy birth! 

cma1989

Hello! My 6 month old was born with one clubbed foot. When she was 10 days old she got her first cast. She got a new one every week for five weeks. On the sixth week she had a tenotomy, and the doctor cut her achilles tendon. I was extremely worried about this procedure, but it ended up being way ?harder on me then her. After the tenotomy, she got her last cast that she had for one month. After that she wore the special brace shoes full time for a month.

What we found was that it took her a lot longer to do things like roll and put weight on her feet because she wasn't used to having a full range of motion. She has been only having to wear her shoes at night for two months and just fully started putting weight on her feet last week. I'm not sure if this is normal, it is just my situation.

Aside from her pedi orthopedist being a cocky SOB, this whole situation was no big deal for us. She will have to wear her boots at night until she is two to prevent regression.

You can always PM if you have any more questions/want to talk/vent. When I was pregnant I was so worried but now it really seems like no big deal. Good luck.?

cma1989

Oh and to answer your question, that was the Ponsetti method. The surgery is done in 90% of cases because it gives full range of motion. They give a local anesthesia and the procedure takes maybe 10 minutes.

AnnieMig

Hey there - congrats on your bending arrival of twins!  My son is 14 years old - and has club feet in both feet.  His case was/is severe and has required multiple surgeries.  The Ponsetti method was being developed and not in use at the time of his treatments - thus he did not have this method done.  He current surgeon, a ped. orthopedic, now specializes in the Ponsetti method and swares by it rather than the old school slice and dice of the heal cord. 

My son now suffers from post surgery arthritis and stiffness of the joints.  I would recommend you find a quality peds ortho that uses the Ponsetti method.  Research, research, research. The earlier the treatment, the better your child's outcome. 

 GL - and feel free to PM me any questions.  Welcome to the bump and GL with your delivery.