Clubfoot is a descriptive term for a number of congenital deformities of one or both feet that vary in severity and etiology (Clubfoot.net, 2001). Involving both the soft tissues and the bone of the leg and foot, clubfoot generally occurs in isolation with no known cause, but it may also occur with chromosomal abnormalities and neurological disorders such as cerebral palsy and spina bifida. Milder deformations of the foot that apparently arise from the fetus’s position in the womb and may correct themselves or need minimal intervention are generally not described as clubfoot (Clubfoot.net, 2001). Most cases of true clubfoot are talipes equinovarus, “a deformity in which the joints, tendons, and ligaments in the foot and ankle have developed incorrectly. The heel is drawn up such that the toes are pointed down and the bottom of the foot points straight back (thus ‘talipes equines’ or ‘horse foot’: horses walk on their toes), and the foot is twisted in toward the other foot” (Clubfoot.net, 2001). This complex disorder affects twice as many boys as girls and has an incidence of 1 in 1,000 children.
A congenital deformity in which the foot or ankle is twisted and somewhat fixed into an awkward position; a common birth defect affecting about one in every 400 babies, boys twice as often as girls. By far the most common and most severe kind of clubfoot is talipes equinovarus, in which one or both feet are twisted downward and inward, or “clubbed,” often with the heel cord so tight that the foot cannot be easily moved into a normal position. Less severe and more easily treatable forms of clubfoot are talipes calcaneal valgus, in which the foot is sharply angled upward and outward, and talipes metatarsus varus, in which the front part of the foot is twisted inward. The causes of clubfoot are complex and unclear but apparently involve genetic and environmental factors, including drugs, infection, or other disease, and they are sometimes associated with other birth defects, such as spina bifida. Couples with clubfoot in their family history may wish to seek genetic counseling when considering a pregnancy. Though once thought true of all forms of clubfoot, only the mildest cases are now thought to result from constriction in the uterus. Milder cases of clubfoot may respond to exercises starting shortly after birth, but more severe cases may require plaster casts or surgery to stretch or lengthen the heel cord. Mild or severe, clubfoot is best treated early.
Congenital abnormality of the foot, especially one in which the front part of the foot turns toward the inside of the heel. Less severe conditions can be treated by splints or casts applied during infancy; more severe conditions require surgery.