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What Are the Causes of Club Feet?

The cause of clubfoot has long been debated by the medical community. According to the Journal of Children's Orthopaedics, this condition has been studied since the 1800s, with some scientific investigators concluding the condition is caused by malformed bones, abnormalities of muscle, joint or vascular lesions and/or abnormal ligaments and tendons. Another view is that congenital clubfoot results when external forces put the foot or the feet in a faulty position while the fetus is developing.

  1. Gene Variation

    • A study funded by SPARKS, a children's medical research charity organization, and led by Zosia Miedzybrodska, geneticist, and Linda Sharp, epidemiologist, discovered, for the first time, that a variation in the gene that processes folate may be part of the cause of clubfeet. It was determined that those infants who possessed the less common variant of C677T variant, in the gene that is called MTHFR or methyltetrahydrofolate reductase, were more apt to be born with a clubfoot than infants who did not possess this variant.

    Environmental and Genetic Factors

    • According to the March of Dimes, scientists believe environmental and genetic factors contribute to the development of clubfoot. Clubfoot, which develops by the second trimester of pregnancy, may be caused by drugs, cigarette smoking, infection or uterine exposure to other factors.

    Malpositioning of Foot in Utero

    • In the past, clubfoot was thought to be the result of the way the fetus' foot was positioned in the uterus. If the fetus' foot (or feet) was cramped or twisted during gestation this was believed to result in clubfoot. But scientists are now discovering other factors that may result in clubfoot. However, some foot abnormalities do result from malpositioning of the fetus' feet, according to the March of Dimes, including mild metatarsus adductus and calcaneovalgus, which self-correct after birth.

    Spina Bifida Link

    • Most babies born with a clubfoot do not have any other defects; however, occasionally, another defect will pop up. Clubfoot does appear to be connected with birth defects, such as an open spine or spina bifida. Children with spina bifida may have clubfoot which, in the case of spina bifida, is caused by nerve damage to the spine, which has an effect on the development of the legs and feet. Sometimes when spina bifida is present, there is no evidence of a foot problem at birth but the foot or feet may become twisted later on, which can happen when there is a muscle or nerve disease.

    Don't Smoke

    • The March of Dimes advises expectant mothers not to smoke, which may reduce their risk of having a baby with clubfoot.

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