Clubfoot is a congenital foot deformity occurring in 1 in 1,000 births. It is commonly treated at pediatric orthopaedic hospitals and its incidence has been constant and not expected to decrease. Treatment is ideally accomplished early in life, within the first year, and is often successful in accomplishing a satisfactory, plantigrade foot, which will fit in shoes. Little is known, however about the function of treated clubfeet.
This study is designed to compare two methods of clubfoot treatment: 1) the Ponseti technique of manipulation and casting and 2) progressive surgical release. The protocol is designed to improve our understanding of the function of the clubfoot during adolescence/young adulthood, and to allow a comparison with normal foot function. The methods are structured to establish the relationship between patient based outcomes, technical and functional measures. We hope to obtain a better picture of the variability of clubfoot pathology among the treated groups using patient satisfaction and self-perception, outcomes measures and quantitative functional tests.
