Club foot, or Congenital Talipes Equinovarus (CTEV)
is a common condition affecting up to 100,000 babies worldwide each
year. At The John Hunter Children’s Hospital children are treated for
CTEV by the Ponseti method. This method has been shown over 50 years
to reduce the pain and stiffness felt by patients, with club foot, through
their life span.
There are many reasons why your child may need foot
surgery.
Below are examples of the most common 4 surgeries
performed on children at John Hunter Children’s Hospital:
Posterior Medial Release – an
operation to correct club foot (CTEV). The surgery may be needed
to release the ligaments and tendons that pull the foot out of its
natural position. A pin is also usually inserted to hold the
foot in the correct position. A plaster cast will be applied.
Triple Arthrodesis/Subtalar Fusion
– an operation to stabilise the three joints within the ankle.
A subtalar fusion is one operation to stabilise one joint in the foot.
Either of these operations may be needed for patients with serious
foot deformities. Surgery consists of fusing/joining the joints
using metal screws and grafting bone from other areas of the body.
A plaster cast below the knee is applied.
Tarsal Coalition – This condition
occurs when the joints in the foot do not form correctly. The
foot is stiff, flat and deformed. The foot movement is restricted
and often causes pain. Surgery is required. The surgery
is done to remove the bone causing the stiffness and a below knee
plaster is applied.
Tendon transfer/lengthening –
Soft tissue of the foot is made up of ligaments, tendons and muscles.
Surgery on the soft tissues corrects the foot deformities that do
not contain bones. Children with cerebral palsy, club feet and
spina bifida often require this type of surgery. A plaster cast
is applied to hold the foot in the correct position.
Disclaimer
It should be noted that this document reflects what is currently
regarded as a safe and appropriate approach to care. However, as
in any clinical situation there may be factors that cannot be covered
by a single set of guidelines, this document should be used as a
guide, rather than as a complete authorative statement of procedures
to be followed in respect of each individual presentation. It does
not replace the need for the application of clinical judgment to
each individual presentation.
