Clubfoot in newborns: causes and remedies
Clubfoot in newborns can be congenital or positional. In both cases, it is a problem that must be resolved to ensure the child has a correct future foot support and promotes postural development.
Read on to find out what it is and what you can do to fix it.
Before starting, I'll leave you some useful information:
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Clubfoot: definition
Clubfoot is a malformation of the foot and leg that are present at birth in an incorrect position compared to the normal one.
In medical terms it is defined as equino-varus-cavus-adductus-supinated clubfoot . To understand its meaning we must break the term into all its components:
- Equinus : indicates that the foot is internally rotated and with the toe pointing downwards;
- Varus : denotes the inward position of the heel;
- Hollow : indicates that the arch of the foot is hollow due to the position of the foot indicated above;
- Adducted and supinated : to indicate that the toe deviates inward and toward the top of the foot.
Congenital clubfoot returns to its incorrect position even after manipulation to position it correctly.
It is usually not associated with other diseases. In fact, only in very few cases is it linked to musculoskeletal, neuromuscular problems or multiple malformation syndromes.
Statistics: How many cases are there?
Let's see some statistics on this issue:
- Clubfoot is one of the most frequent congenital orthopedic diseases with an incidence of 0.8-1.65 per 1000 live births in our country (according to the Italian Registry of Congenital Defects);
- It occurs more frequently in male children with a 3:1 ratio compared to females ;
- In 50% of cases it affects both feet , but mainly affects the right side;
- As we have said, it is associated with other malformations or pathologies only in 7% of cases ;
- A hereditary-familial relationship can be found in approximately 15% of cases (according to Zionts et al., 2015; Goldstein et al., 2015).
Types of Clubfoot
There is not just one type of clubfoot. Let's look at the possible variations in detail.
Congenital
Usually when we talk about clubfoot we are referring to the congenital one.
Congenital clubfoot is defined as such when the asymmetry of the foot is very marked and involves the entire anatomy of the foot and the ankle itself.
Congenital clubfoot has such a deformed anatomical structure that, despite attempts to manually reduce it, it tends to reappear and is unable to maintain the correct position .
From a simple visual observation the foot appears seriously '' crooked '', rotated inwards.
It is important to know that there is not only congenital clubfoot but also positional clubfoot , which is much less serious and more easily manipulated than congenital clubfoot.
According to an article by the Italian Society of Pediatrics, congenital clubfoot has a prevalence of 1-4 in 1000 live births and is more common in males.
Positional clubfoot is much more common but often underdiagnosed.
Positional
In this case, the foot is malformed due to an incorrect position assumed during the last stages of pregnancy . In fact, the reduction in the quantity of amniotic fluid or the position assumed by the baby lead to keeping the foot incorrectly for a long time.
Unlike congenital clubfoot, it usually tends to improve over the months. Even if it tends to improve, it is not a problem to be underestimated, but should be treated with osteopathy.
The osteopath's job is to massage the muscles of the foot and leg to facilitate the correct repositioning of the foot and ankle.
Metatarsus varus
In this case the front part of the foot turns inward . This type does not require surgery, but is resolved by treating the muscles of the foot and leg with osteopathic manipulation.
Pronated talus valgus
This type sees the foot extended towards the leg and with the sole turned outwards. Also in this case the situation improves with time, but it is necessary to improve its mobility by treating the muscles of the limb.
All types of clubfoot, unlike the congenital one, improve on their own, but may not resolve completely. For this reason it is always necessary to treat the area to exclude possible problems with plantar support and postural development.