Early diagnosis and treatment can help children with clubfoot lead normal lives, experts said at the fourth KGMU Clubfoot Programme organised by King George’s Medical University’s (KGMU) department of paediatric orthopaedics.
Prof Ajai Singh, vice-chancellor of Uttar Pradesh University of Medical Sciences, called for strengthening paediatric orthopaedic services at medical colleges and district hospitals, research into the condition and training healthcare workers in its treatment, it stated. Around 30,000 children are born with clubfoot annually in India, including 6,000 in Uttar Pradesh. Recurrence occurs in around 20% of cases, often due to poor brace compliance.
Experts said treatment should begin within weeks of birth and involve serial plaster casts, tendo-Achilles tenotomy, if required, and bracing for at least five years. They also dispelled myths linking clubfoot to solar or lunar eclipses and delaying treatment until a child grows older, stated a press release shared with the media on Sunday.
