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Clubfoot

by Cynthia M. Johnson, MA

Home | Health Information Center | Disease, Condition, & Injury Fact Sheets | Article

Definition

Clubfoot is a birth defect that causes the foot to turn in and point down. The tendons that connect the leg muscles to the foot are too short and tight. A clubfoot is usually smaller than a normal-sized foot.

Causes

The cause is not known. It may be a mix of genetic and the environment.

Achilles Tendon and Related Muscles

Risk Factors

This problem is more common in men. It is also more common in people with other family members who have it.

Smoking during pregnancy may raise the risk.

Symptoms

A clubfoot appears at birth and may affect one or both feet. The foot may:

Turn inward and downward, and will not straighten
Have a deep crease on the bottom
Be slightly smaller than normal
Have a calf muscle that is slightly smaller

Diagnosis

A clubfoot is diagnosed at birth based on how the foot looks. It may also be diagnosed before birth during an ultrasound.

Prenatal Ultrasound

Treatment

The goal of treatment is to correct the foot so the child can walk with it flat on the ground. Treatment needs to be started early. Options are:

A series of casts to stretch the tissues of the foot and reshape it
A brace to keep the foot from twisting back to where it was before casting

Children with severe clubfoot may need surgery. It can help repair deformed tendons and muscles.

Prevention

Women who are pregnant may lower the risk of this problem in their child by not smoking.

RESOURCES:

American Orthopedic Foot & Ankle Society
http://www.aofas.org

Ortho Info—American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
https://orthoinfo.org

CANADIAN RESOURCES:

Health Canada
https://www.canada.ca

When it Hurts to Move—Canadian Orthopaedic Foundation
http://whenithurtstomove.org

References:

Clubfoot. EBSCO Nursing Reference Center website. Available at: https://www.ebscohost.com/nursing/products/nursing-reference-center. Accessed December 10, 2020.

Clubfoot. Johns Hopkins website. Available at: https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/clubfoot. Accessed December 10, 2020.

Clubfoot. KidsHealth—Nemours Foundation website. Available at: https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/clubfoot.html. Accessed December 10, 2020.

Clubfoot. Massachusetts General Hospital Orthopedic Surgery website. Available at:
...(Click grey area to select URL)
Accessed December 10, 2020.

Clubfoot. Ortho Info—American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons website. Available at:
...(Click grey area to select URL)
Accessed December 10, 2020.

Clubfoot. Seattle Children's website. Available at: https://www.seattlechildrens.org/conditions/clubfoot. Accessed December 10, 2020.

Last reviewed September 2020 by EBSCO Medical Review Board Chelsea Skucek, MSN, BS, RNC-NIC
Last Updated: 5/26/2021

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