By: Cassie Maier

What is Club Foot? Club Foot is when one or both babies feet are turned inward and downward and cannot be put into normal position easily. Clubfoot is also called Talipes equinovarus, and Talipes.

Type of Disorder Talipes is a congenital deformity that develops in the womb between 8 to 12 weeks and causes an abnormal twisting of the ankles, heels, toes and feet. Known as Congenital Talipes Equinovarus, there are four types of talipes which are – 1. Talipes equinovarus, the most common form. 2. Talipes equinovalgus when the foot points out and down. 3. Talipes calcaneovarus, when the foot points in and up and 4. Talipes calcaneovalgus - when the foot points in and down. Talipes is the word which combines all the different types of deformity but clubfoot refers only to talipes equinovarus, the most common form of the condition.

Chromosome People with clubfoot have either a deletion on chromosome 17, or, have abnormalities in the region of chromosome 17. “By performing a routine genetic screening on 66 patients with an inherited form of clubfoot, Christina Gurnett, MD, PhD, a Washington University pediatric geneticist and neurologist at St. Louis Children's Hospital, and her colleagues found abnormalities in a region of chromosome 17 in four patients. Three of the patients had small recurrent DNA duplications, and one had a small recurrent DNA deletion on chromosome 17.” INFO FOUND AT:

Symptoms/ Effects of Club Foot The most common physical symptoms of clubfoot are when the foot turns in and down at birth, and does not go normal. Also, the calf muscle and the foot might be smaller than normal. NORMAL FOOT CLUB FOOT

Diagnosis Club foot is diagnosed with a physical examination and a foot x-ray.

Prognosis It’s difficult and can be impossible to compare feet because there’s no accurate measuring tool. The primary treatment is good and should begin at birth. Best results come when the child is treated in a clinic with orthopedics surgeons, nursing staff and physiotherapists to supervise the child's care

Can Club Foot be Treated? Yes, treatment can correct the deformity and hold the correction until the child is done growing. Treatment includes: casting, surgery, and physiotherapy.

Club Foot Stories There are many inspirational stories about babies born with Club Foot on this website. Please Read Some

Works Cited