Clubfoot Treatment

Over 60 years ago, Dr. Ignaçio Ponseti created this remarkable method. It involves gentle casts and braces to guide tiny feet into the right position—no surgery, no pain, just love and care.

HOW IS CLUBFOOT TREATED?

The full treatment starts from birth until age 4 / 5

The Ponseti method, devised over 60 years ago by Dr Ignacio Ponseti, avoids cutting the tight ligaments, tendons and joint capsules. It is a carefully constructed sequence of plaster casts and braces for children with clubfoot, based on his studies of the condition.

Worldwide studies confirm that if the Ponseti Method is done correctly by a well-trained provider, it is over 95% successful. The Ponseti method is internationally endorsed as the gold-standard for treatment of congenital clubfoot.

When the final cast is removed, a clubfoot brace is fitted – a pair of shoes attached to an adjustable bar at a specific width and angle. The child wears these at night for four years.

The journey of clubfoot treatment

The treatment consists of two main phases:

The Correction Phase

The foot is gradually positioned into place with a series of manipulations and full-leg plaster casts, changed weekly over a 4 – 8 week period, before a minor procedure is done under local anaesthetic in the clinic. For over 80% of cases, the tight Achilles tendon is cut in a minor procedure (tenotomy) and the corrected foot is put in a holding cast for three weeks to allow the tendon to regenerate longer.

The Maintenance Phase:

The child wears a clubfoot brace full-time for three months, and then when sleeping. The clubfoot brace – boots connected to a bar – holds the foot in position until the correction stabilises at age four to five.