Clubfoot is the most common foot defect. Impacting 1 out of 1000 children born. It occurs in every single country in the world. However, UNTREATED clubfoot is common in developing countries. Untreated clubfoot leaves children severely disabled, shamed, spiritually depleted, and with a life of pain.
Clubfoot occurs between the 18th and 20th week of gestation. This occurs when the Achilles tendon does not grow with the developing baby. Due to this, the baby is born with one or two feet that are curved up and inward.
A child with clubfoot is born every 3 minutes.
While clubfoot occurs in every single country in the world, 90% of UNTREATED clubfoot cases are in developing countries. Many developing countries do not have access to surgery rooms, surgeons, surgical teams, etc. It has also been concluded that treating clubfoot by invasive surgeries is not effective and will often leave the child with long lasting pain and disabilities.
The Ponseti method is noninvasive and non-surgical. When followed correctly, it is over 95% effective! The baby is completely corrected after 4 to 6 weeks. After the casting phase, the child moves into braces for the next 4 years.
