Dealing Through The Pain of Club Foot

http://www.clubfeet.net/story/Jamie
Clubfeet.net
Stories

I have found random stories about people who were born with club foot. These people were willing to share their stories with others to let people know what they had gone through during their defeat against clubfoot.

Jamie’s Story

My name is Jamie and I am now 19, and born with Club Feet.I have had about 10 operations now, and my feet are still bad.The main operation I had was Frames, in 1997, when I was 10. This operation, they put pins through the legs, and I turn a screw a quarter turn, 4 times a day. This operation, the pins are on the legs for about 5 months, and then plaster goes on the legs for about 3 months. When I had the frames on my legs, I had a slight accident, when walking, where I fell backwards and broke my right leg.Due to the break in the leg, I couldn't turn the screws in my right leg anymore.
After the operation was completed and the plaster was removed, we noticed that my left foot was over corrected by the right foot was ok. This is just to prove that accidents can bring good things.After that operation, my right foot has not been that bad, it is straight, and doesn't cause me much pain.I do suffer from a lot of discomfort in my left foot, so I am still having operations, I can live with the pain in my right foot, I can't be on my feet for to long, but the pain is not as bad.As for my left foot, I am still having operations to correct the problem.Another operation I have had after the frames was a "re-fusions". This is where the doctor breaks the bone and fuses them back together again with internal pins.That operation was not very successful, I am still having pain in my left foot, I have had the pins removed.

Jocelynn Hemphill's Story

My son, Paden, is 14 years old and was born with severe bilateral club feet that required numerous surgeries and braces between the ages of zero and six. The surgeries were successful, but his feet are very small and abnormal. He also has less than 50% muscle in his legs from his knees down to his feet, and his doctor told us that he would never be able to compete in athletics. Paden has been determined to prove the doctor wrong and plays many sports including baseball, tennis, football, basketball, and even track.

Katrina Pugh's Story

The first time I remember my feet being a problem to me, was when I started a new school when I was seven. Because I walked with my feet turned in, I got bullied, called cripple, not picked for sports teams, and laughed at when I ran.
Senior school was not much better, I had friends, but I had two operations during the five years I was there, and hobbling about with sticks at school, was like being a flame in a room full of horrible moths.
After leaving school at 16, most of my jobs have been manual; since I get this odd pain, that sometimes force me to use walking aids.

I am 34 now and three years ago the pain from my right foot was found to be caused by my bones wearing away, where I had my last operation done at 15. I had an implant and bone accelerant put in my foot late in 2004. The pain went away, but unfortunately, returned with vengeance, I cannot walk properly and I am in constant pain. I am due to have my eighth surgery on the 23rd of February; hopefully the pain will stay away, although I will have a limp.
As we all know, there are thousands of stories out there that can be found in books and on the Internet. As you can see not everyone is born with the same severity of clubfoot. I posted these stories to let people know what people who are born with clubfoot go through during their everyday life. If people start volunteering their time and money towards charities for club foot, people like the ones in the stories above could get the proper care and attention they need to conquer over club foot.

Sparks: Club Foot Charity

http://www.sparks.org.uk/pres_mes.htm
Sparks
UK Charity

Sparks, which stands for Sports Aiding Medical Research For Kids is a charity that was created in 1991 and has funded over one hundred and sixty medical projects in the United Kingdom. Founded and supported by top personalities in sports and entertainments, SPARKS fundraising activities range from different types of charities such as golf days, black tie events, clay shooting, fashion shows, mountain climbing etc. to bring in donations towards the charity.

Everyday doctors are carrying out research to improve the health of children with these deformities within the United Kingdom and across the world. SPARKS plays a crucial role in supporting the highest quality medical research for children and without the help of fundraisers and donors this wouldn’t be possible.
The goal of SPARKS is to give every child the best possible start in life, which is a healthy one. Symptoms such as meningitis, cerebral palsy, cancer, spina bifida, brain damage, clubfoot and the complications surrounding premature birth are just a few of the research areas to benefit from SPARKS funding.
Three percent of babies (1in 30) in the United Kingdom are born with some type of disability that will affect a child for life. SPARKS charity is one of the fewest charities that fund research into the wide range of conditions that can affect children. SPARKS charity reduces the health risks for babies born prematurely, increase the life expectancy of new born babies, fight common conditions such as spina bifida and celebral palsy and develop more effective treatments for conditions affecting babies and young children.
To get involved in SPARKS charity, people can help out in many ways. One way is by volunteering and helping out in the charity. Another way is by donating trusts and foundations, which allows SPARKS to research into conditions that affect babies and children. Third, people can leave a legacy in their will to the charity that will make a difference to the health of future generations. Lastly, people can give shares to the charity.

Steps: Club Foot Charity

Steps We Don’t Take Walking for Granted

http://www.steps-charity.org.uk/

Steps Charity

There are many fundraisers out there today that support the cure for children born with club foot. One charity issued towards club foot is called Steps. Steps is a small national charity that supports children who are affected by leg deformities like clubfoot or a hip condition. Since the charity receives over five thousand contacts a year for help, there are many ways to help support this charity. This charity earns money through many creative and fun fundraisers to meet every person’s expectations. For the energetic sponsors who enjoy dares and thrills, they can climb mountains, go mountain biking, run marathons, go rock climbing and jump out of planes. For supporters who prefer a safer activity they could organize a coffee morning where a group of random people get together and drink coffee to discuss the charity, make a Christmas card list where you ask friends to send a donation instead of a card and organize an egg hunt or make a raffle to support the charity. The thing to remember is, you will be raising money to help those affected by a lower limb condition enabling them to gain the support they need, when they need it the most. You can contact the Step charity if you would like to join in one of their charity events by calling 01925 750 275 or by emailing this address bev@steps-charity.org.uk.

After reading this article, I am very interested in volunteering at one of the Step charities. By volunteering I can help out one or more of the thousands of people who call in for help every year towards their child’s leg deformity. I believe it is smart to have charities that vary like this one. This way this charity can meet a bunch of people’s expectations where they could have fun and enjoy their selves while doing a good deed. I am looking into volunteering to organize an egg hunt or card list since I am not into jumping out of planes or running marathons.

Causes and Symptoms of Clubfoot

http://www.healthline.com/galecontent/clubfoot

Health Line

Clubfoot Health Article

According to Health Line, doctors are unsure of the cause of clubfoot but believe they might know some links that might be causing the deformity in infants. One cause they believe might be causing clubfoot is genetic inheritance. The only link to genetic inheritance is a Mendelian pattern of inheritance. Doctors believe several different types of inheritance patterns, different patterns of development appearing as the same condition and a complex interaction between genetic and environmental factors may cause this.

Another link to clubfoot doctors believe might be that several environmental causes could cause clubfoot in a person. Some types of environmental causes might be linked to fumes; chemicals found in people’s water, sewer run offs etc.

Doctors also believe that certain drugs can cause clubfoot. Mothers who take the drug Misoprostol, which is a drug that mothers take when trying to have an abortion, have found their babies were being born with the deformity of clubfoot.

Doctors have also found that males who work as a living in the printing trade company have had more children born with clubfoot. Doctors believe that the printing trade somehow contaminates the men’s sperm but are unsure how.

Doctors have also found that prenatal tests have also caused babies to be born with clubfoot, but once again are unsure why.

Lastly, infants of mothers who smoke during pregnancy have a greater chance of being born with clubfoot than are offspring of women who do not smoke.

Since my mother smoked when she was pregnant with the two of us, since back then she didn't know cigarettes could damage peoples lungs and kill someone, that might have been the cause of my clubfoot deformity but we wre still unsure of the real reason.

The Ponseti Method

Clubfeet.net

http://www.clubfeet.net/medical.php

Medical Information on Club Feet

A Spanish doctor named Ignocio Ponseti in 1940 discovered a new method to cure clubfoot, which he calls The Ponseti Method. The Ponseti method is a non-surgical procedure that is now very common within the United States.

The Ponseti Method is a procedure where the doctor gradually manipulates the foot or feet to the right side. The doctor then over a couple of weeks puts a special brace, which is a pair of shoes, connected by a straight metal rod on the baby’s feet. This is mostly worn during naptime or at night so that the babies don’t move around and accidentally hurt their selves.

The Ponseti Method is usually started when the baby is just a couple of weeks old. The doctor then controls the baby’s foot and places the foot into a plaster cast. The cast is then removed once a week until the foot is straightened, which usually takes up to eight weeks. When the plaster is removed from the baby’s foot, the doctor then controls the foot and if necessary, put back into a plaster cast. As the plaster is removed from the foot every week you can see a difference in the foot.

According to Clubfeet.net, “using the Ponseti Method, the tendons in the feet becomes stretched allowing for more flexibility. After the series of plaster casts, a simple procedure called a "Tanotamy" is done.” The "Tanotamy" procedure is when the doctor snips a tendon at the back of the heel of the clubbed foot. This procedure only takes a few minutes to be done. This tiny procedure leaves no scaring and no problems afterwards.

Since the Ponseti method is one of the safest and reliable procedures there is for clubfoot today, I would advise parents to use this method over the other methods out there. Attached is a link called A Parent’s Guide To: Clubfoot- The Ponseti Method. I provided this video for you to watch because I wanted you to see how well the Ponseti Method actually works without putting your child through surgery. This video provides information from why parents chose this method, from what they went through to the before and after math of their child’s journey of overcoming ClubFoot.

http://www.clubfeet.net/video.php

Treatment Options For Your Baby

Treatment Options for Club Foot
Clubfeet.net
http://www.clubfeet.net/medical.php#external_fixators

Emedicine
Triple Arthrodesis
http://www.emedicine.com/orthoped/topic354.htm

When your child is born with club foot there are many treatments to have done to your child. According to clubfeet.net the first treatment that can be done to fix Clubfoot is called Strapping and Physiotherapy. Strapping and Physiotherapy is a method where the doctors use strips of adhesive strapping where they are passed around the foot, up the sides of the leg, and over the top of the knee, to hold the foot in a corrected position. This is usually done weekly, following some physiotherapy. This method is used in mild cases but can become ineffective after three months since babies can easily kick off the straps at this point in time.

A second method for clubfoot that clubfeet.net discusses is called plaster fixation. Plaster fixation is when a surgeon directs the foot or feet into position and then holds the foot into place by placing plaster on the foot (feet) or fiberglass casting. The plaster is taken off the foot every two weeks and a new plaster is placed back onto the foot for about up to a year or more until the foot is straighten. After casting, a special brace may be required to maintain the effects of the casting. This method is used mostly today. (This is what my parents used on me to cure my foot).













A third method that clubfeet.net discusses is called French Physio Method. French Physio method is a method that is rarely seen in the United States. This technique consists of stretching, strengthening and taping and splinting the foot. Everyday a family member stretches and massages the foot or feet followed by new tape and soft plastic splint that they have learned from the physical therapist. This process is the most time-consuming but does have successful results. The positive thing about this method is it doesn’t contain surgery.

The fourth type of surgery clubfeet.net talks about is called External Fixators. A doctor in Chertsey Hospital discovered the treatment. External Fixators help cure Club Foot by screwing screws through the side of the foot and attaching the screws to the external frame. The fixators are then attached to the leg for five months. During the five months, you turn the screw with a spanner four times a day to straighten the foot. When the fixators are removed, plaster is then attached to keep the foot straighten for an additional two to three months.

What is club foot

http://members.aol.com/vc11/info.htm
Club Foot Information
What are Club Feet?

http://www.clubfeet.net/
Club Feet
What is Club Feet?

Club foot or club feet are known as Talipes, which comes from the medical name congenital talipes equinovarus. Congenital talipes equinovarus means a deformity of the feet and ankle that is present at birth. Within the United States, one per one thousand live births is born with a clubbed foot or feet. Club Foot starts during the first trimester of pregnancy where the baby’s ankle and foot (feet) within the womb become deformed. Their bones, joints, muscles, and blood vessels of the foot (feet) are incorrectly formed due to the foot not being able to keep up with the development of the rest of the foot. The defect may be mild or severe. The foot of an affected child has been described as “kidney shaped”, since the appearance of the foot points downward and twisted inwards and the foot and calf are also often noticeably smaller.

A club foot is usually turned in, stiff, and lacks the normal range of motion. Doctors are unsure of what causes the deformity but do know that the deformity occurs more in boys than in girls and may be caused from a family history. If Club foot is not fixed in time then the bones of the clubbed foot (feet) will become mis-shaped and unfixable.

When my mother was pregnant twenty-three years ago, she thought she was pregnant with a big boy since she never went to receive an ultra sound during her pregnancy. On October 11^th 1983, my mother was in for a big surprise when she gave birth to a set of twin baby girls. My sister and I were taken away from our parents right after birth since we both had complications. My sister was placed on a breathing tube since she wasn’t breathing correctly on her own and I was taken into another room for a few hours since something was wrong with my foot. The doctors brought me back to my parents and told them that I was diagnosed with a mild deformity of Club Foot. The doctors told my parents that I was born with a clubbed foot but didn’t know why. The doctors believed that since I was a twin I wasn't able to get the room space I needed to grow in my mother's womb which caused my foot to grow improperly. The doctors told my parents that they were going to place me in a plastic cast that would have to be changed by a Pediatric doctor every two weeks at Children’s Hospital located in Philadelphia for eight consecutive weeks if they wanted my foot to grow properly and straight.