Clubfoot is when a baby’s foot points down and turns in. This can lead to serious problems with walking. That’s why we treat kids early — a week or two after birth if possible. To get the best results, most babies at Nemours have clubfoot treatment without major surgery. Nemours orthopedic specialists (doctors who work with the bones and muscles) use a method that gently and gradually moves a baby’s foot into the correct position.
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Clubfoot
Gentle, Effective Clubfoot Treatment for Kids
Services We Offer
At Nemours, we personalize clubfoot care for each and every baby. The services we offer depend on your child’s needs and location, and may include:
- expert diagnosis, including prenatal diagnosis as early as the 20th week of pregnancy
- gentle stretching and a series of foot casts to help move the foot into the correct position over time
- a tenotomy heel cord release procedure (a small cut in the Achilles tendon loosens the heel so the foot can heal in the correct position)
- a brace to help your child’s foot stay in the new, correct position after the casts
- surgery to correct clubfoot
- physical therapy to help stretch and strengthen the calf and foot muscles as your child grows
- gait and motion analysis to help analyze and diagnose problems with walking
- genetic evaluation and counseling when parents might have other children with clubfoot or if children with clubfoot have another conditions
Why Choose Us
At Nemours, we personalize clubfoot care for each and every baby. The services we offer depend on your child’s needs and location, and may include:
Families come to Nemours because we’re one of the best-known pediatric orthopedic practices in the world. We’ve spent decades diagnosing and treating clubfoot in children. And we’re always looking to the future: Our experts are involved in studies and clinical trials to find better ways to diagnose and treat childhood orthopedic conditions.
Year after year, many of our experts are recognized as “Best Doctors in America ®.” And we’re proud that, every year, families like you vote us “Top Doctors” in magazine and other surveys.
Regional Highlights of Our Clubfoot Treatment
Services, programs and care teams differ at each location. Call for details.
We offer complete clubfoot treatment at Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware (Wilmington, Del.) and select satellite Nemours Children's Health locations.
- specialized team focused only on clubfoot treatment
- lead orthopedic surgeon specifically trained in the Ponseti method, the widely held standard in clubfoot treatment
- innovation in gait and motion analysis — our accredited pediatric gait and motion analysis lab is among the first of its kind and still one of very few nationally
- advanced diagnostic services, including fetal and diagnostic testing and perinatal consultations while your baby is still in the womb
- advanced radiology (imaging) services
- state-of-the-art cast services, brace fitting, orthotic and prosthetic shop on-site
- indoor water therapy pools
- pediatric outpatient therapy services program that’s one of the only in the region accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF)
- certified occupational and physical therapists
- consistently ranked among the top 10 children’s hospitals in the country for pediatric orthopedics by U.S. News & World Report (Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware)
- one of the country’s largest pediatric training programs for orthopedic residents and fellows
- nursing excellence — our nursing program earned Magnet status the country’s highest nursing credential
We offer clubfoot treatment at Nemours Children’s Hospital (Orlando).
- advanced radiology (imaging) services, including fetal diagnostics
- state-of-the-art casting, orthotic and prosthetic services on-site
- physical medicine and rehabilitation (“PM&R” or “Rehab Medicine”) services, including occupational and physical therapies
We offer complete clubfoot treatment at Nemours Children's Health, Jacksonville.
- lead doctor trained in the Ponseti method, the widely held standard in clubfoot treatment
- advanced radiology (imaging) services
- state-of-the-art casting, orthotic and prosthetic services on-site
- physical rehabilitation (all in collaboration with Wolfson Children’s Hospital)
We offer clubfoot treatment at Nemours Children’s Specialty Care, Pensacola.
- evaluation and treatment for a wide range of pediatric orthopedic conditions
- imaging on-site
- casting, orthotic and prosthetic shops, assistive technology services, and physical rehabilitation
Research & Clinical Trials
At Nemours, we’re actively researching new approaches for childhood disease prevention, diagnosis and treatment.
KidsHealth Library
Learn more about your child’s medical condition from the experts at Nemours’ KidsHealth.
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