We am a parents of a child with Congenital Clubfoot who is now nine years old. Since about 2002, the Ponseti “Non-Surigcal” method of treatment for clubfoot has become the mainstream initial method of treatment. Information on this method and it’s providers can be seen at the Ponseti International Association web site at http://www.ponseti.info Prior to the acceptance of the Ponseti method, between 60 to 90% of children needed the very complicated Posterior Medial Release types of surgery. Illizarov methods have also been developed in an attempt to avoid the surgery, but are a lot more complicated than the use of the Ponseti method. Now, with the use of the Ponseti method, almost no child treated early needs to have surgical correction.

Since 2002, a number of doctors working around the world have begun to use the Ponseti method for older children with untreated clubfoot as well as for children with spina bifida. They have been able to push the use of the Ponseti method out into the teenage years.

Dr. Julyn Aguilar of St. Lukes Hospital, Manila, Phillipines has been trained at the University of Iowa by Dr. Ponseti and has been doing the Ponseti method successfully in older children for a couple of years. She has a video on the internet located at http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1751786484822925824

Julyn Aguilar, M.D.
Q.C. Philippines
St. Lukes Hospital, Manila, Philipines
E-mail julynaguilar@yahoo.com

The U of Iowa and others have also reported on the succussful use of the Ponseti method for children with Spina Bifida. We agree that children with spina bifida can have clubfeet that can be a bit more difficult to treat. Dr. Ponseti himself can be contacted at (319)356-3469.

University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics
200 Hawkins Drive
010255 JPP
Iowa City, IA 52242

Via E-mail: ignacio-ponseti@uiowa.edu

We would like to make sure that parents all over the world are aware of the availability of the Ponseti method as they make treatment decisions for their children. I would encourage FOX News to do a story on the miracle of the Ponseti method of treatment. The Ponseti method was developed in the 1950’s and then basically ignored for 50 years. It is only in the past few years that it has become the mainstream initial method of treatment in most of the developed world. It is rapidly also becoming available to the 80% of children born in the developing world.

Martin and Allyson Egbert and Joshua (age 9)
http://www.uihealthcare.com/topics/medicaldepartments/orthopaedics/clubfeet/egbert.html

Our daughter came home from China at the age of 3 years old and had severe untreated bilateral clubfeet. Trying to find the right care for her was challenging because in America we treat our clubfoot children from birth. Many doctors wouldn’t treat her because of her being older and of those that would they told us she could only be treated surgically because of her age. Her feet were literally upside down and angled backwards, but that didn’t stop her as she ran and jumped keeping up with her older brother very well. We traveled out of state to a doctor that we thought was the best qualified to help her and had experience treating other older children. The plan was to do the very invasive Posterior Medial Release surgical procedure. We also found out she would need a second surgery 6 weeks later. I asked again about trying the serial casting before surgery and was told the same thing - it wouldn’t work for an older child like her that had walked and ran on her feet so much. Before we got our surgery dates, my mother’s intuition told me something was wrong. So I went on my quest once again to find the right method and doctor to treat our child. Again I kept getting the same answers - only surgery can help your daughter. Finally, I got in touch with 3 Ponseti trained doctors that had experience with treating older children and they all said she could be corrected through the Ponseti Method of casting with little surgery at the end. One of these doctors was Dr. Wallace Lehman in New York, NY. I am so grateful to them for their time and opening that window of hope for us. It was then that I contacted Dr. Ponseti in Iowa City, Iowa. He was the answer to our prayers. (The most shocking part is that our daughter’s first doctor we traveled to that wanted to treat her totally through surgery called us to let us know that he felt she could still be an amputation case even after all the surgeries they had planned for her due to the severity of her case. Luckily I had already had contact with the other Ponseti trained doctors that gave us new hope.) We traveled 1500 miles the next week to see Dr. Ponseti and Allison began her series of castings. At 3 1/2 years old she had 17 cast changes while we lived out there for 3 months and then a 2 hour surgery at the end. We did do one more small surgery 8 months later. Today at the age of 6 years old she runs, jumps, rides her bike, ice skates, and plays with no limitations and no more plans for any more correction needed. She can wear any shoes, too and at the age of 4 years old she was ecstatic to wear sandals for the first time in her life when we took her casts off. Her feet our beautiful, straight, and pain free and people just marvel at the miracle we have all witnessed thanks to Dr. Ponseti. He is our hero!!!!!!!
I hope and pray someone that knows this precious little girl, Jingle, and her mom and can give her Dr. Ponseti’s contact info and Dr. Lehman’s contact info at 1-212-598-6682 so they can see the miracle in the Ponseti casting method. It can work for older children just like our daughter. I would love to email them some before and after pictures of our daughter and her going through this process playing while Dr. Ponseti changed her casts. It is not a painful procedure and will give her the best chance at healthy feet. Please feel free to contact me if I can help share information to help Jingle get the best care possible. Thank you!

Joyce Mauck

We are the parents of a child with Congenital Clubfoot who is now nine years old. Since about 2002, the Ponseti “Non-Surgical” method of treatment for clubfoot has become the mainstream initial method of treatment. Information on this method and it’s providers can be seen at the Ponseti International Association web site at http://www.ponseti.info

Prior to the acceptance of the Ponseti method, between 60 to 90% of children needed the very complicated Posterior Medial Release types of surgery. Now, with the use of the Ponseti method, almost no child treated early needs to have surgical correction. Illizarov methods have also been developed in an attempt to avoid the surgery, but are a lot more complicated than the use of the Ponseti method.

Since 2002, a number of doctors working around the world have begun to use the Ponseti method for older children with untreated clubfoot as well as for children with spina bifida. The have been able to push the use of the Ponseti method out into the teenage years.

Dr. Julyn Aguilar of St. Lukes Hospital, Manila, Philipines has been trained at Iowa and been doing the Ponseti method successfully in older children for a couple of years. She has a video on the internet located at http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1751786484822925824

Julyn Aguilar, M.D.

Q.C. Philippines

St. Lukes Hospital, Manila, Philipines

E-mail julynaguilar@yahoo.com

The U of Iowa and others have also reported on the successful use of the Ponseti method for children with Spina Bifida. We agree that children with Spina Bifida can have a bit more difficult clubfoot conditions. Dr. Ponseti can be contacted at (319)356-3469

Address:

University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics
200 Hawkins Drive
010255 JPP
Iowa City, IA 52242

Via E-mail:

ignacio-ponseti@uiowa.edu

We would like to make sure that parents all over the world are aware of the availability of the Ponseti method as they make treatment decisions for their children. We would encourage FOX News to do a story on the miracle of the Ponseti method of treatment. It is a method that was developed in the 1950’s and then basically ignored for 50 years.

It is only in the past few years that it has become the mainstream initial method of treatment in most of the developed world. It is rapidly also becoming available to the 80% of children born in the developing world.

Martin and Allyson Egbert and Joshua (age 9)

http://www.uihealthcare.com/topics/medicaldepartments/orthopaedics/clubfeet/egbert.html

I was born in 1972 with the exact same condition. I spent years in casts, corrective shoes, and had a total of 14 surgeries. The last was when I was nine. I am now 35, walk just fine, but, of course, have visible scarring from the incisions. My left foot is also flat with no arch, tilts slightly to the left, and my toes are basicly for “show.” I can’t point my toes and have hammertoes on that foot. Also, my left calf is noticeably smaller than the right. My left foot was worse than my right and still looks “deformed.” But I can walk! Something my parents were told I would never be able to do, so what it looks like isn’t that big of a deal. I can wear normal shoes, but not any type of heels that are “skinny” such as a stiletto, etc.

When I was a child, I was teased unmercifully by many. It was very difficult, and I spent much of my teen years and early twenties too embarrassed to wear skirts because my scars and deformities were exposed. I was called “duck feet,” told I walked like a “lame cow,” and on more times than I can count have been asked if I stepped on a nail. (I still don’t understand this one.) I have also had a woman giving me a pedicure tell me that my feet looked like hamburger meat, and just the other day someone asked what happened to my feet. I gave them my pat answer of, “I was a born with a birth defect in my feet and have had several corrective surgeries.” The person responded, “And that was the best they could do?”

For years I hated my “ugly” feet. I would stare at the left one and feel hatred and anger. I really, really hated it. I have considered calf implants to make my legs look symetrical. I have also considered consulting a plastic surgeon to see if my scars can be minimized. I now wouldn’t dream of changing how I look. These are my battle scars, and I wear them with pride. The stares of strangers that used to make me want to cry now make me feel empowered because I have lived through something that has made me stronger than the average person.

I post this for any other person or parent of a person who has this condition. I hope that my story, thoughts, reflections can help or inspire you. Although clubfoot is a somewhat common condition, severe clubfoot like ours is not. (I have never personally met anyone else with my same condition.) My only advice would be: learn to “own” your condition, don’t let it “own” or define you, and be sympathetic of those who say insensitive, rude things to you - they just don’t understand.

And if you ever feel that no one will love or accept you because of your “ugly” feet (I always did.), that is not true. You are not less worthy of someone to love you or treat you well just because of your “ugly” feet. I have been married to a wonderful man for 12 years and have 4 beautiful children. None of them have club feet or any other physical deformity.

I think that it’s awesome for this to be able to happen for her.

I had the same case w/ my right foot when I was born in 1966. I had surgery and wore braces at a young age. My Mother didn’t go into a lot of detail concerning my operation or my foot and now at age 41 I’m curious. I would have loved to know more about it so that I can tell my kids. I also would benefit w/ more knowledge. My surgery has left one side of my body a little off from my right side. My feet are 1/2 in difference, which to me seems like more when I’m buying shoes. I can walk on it, but at times I have discomfort. It feels like I’m walking on a ball at times. My left foot since it was bigger, I could never have the right fitting shoes and that foot has corns on my toes and is flat w/ no arch where as my right foot has indentions and scars from surgery. I can’t wear certain shoes on that foot that I can on the right. My family and others teases me that I have ugly feet and toes. I always tried to hide them. Hiding my feet has shunned my sons into hiding their feet and toes when they have normal feet. I walk a little off balance but I can walk. What I felt before concerning how ugly my feet are I don’t feel as much. When I can’t wear certain shoes I get disgusted, but for the most part I feel ok now about it, except for the not knowing the whole story that my Mom left out and now she’s gone.

I hope that these stories that everyone is telling helps someone to get over the hump of feeling down and disgusted like I felt. People will love you and your feet. Guess what it’s ok because there’s always a blessing in the midst of it all….

Has anyone tried modified shoes or custom orthotics ordered by a physician?