What Are the Causes of Club Feet in Children?

Club foot is a congenital birth defect that results in the disfigurement and malformation of bones, ligaments and joints in children as they grow. Club foot disorder can be treated with nonsurgical and minimally invasive approaches. Doctors may also perform surgery to correct the defect. Club foot occurs at the rate of 1.2 of every 1,000 children born. Club foot can affect one or both feet. Club foot is not a life-threatening condition. However, it can prevent a child from developing normally.

About

• According to the March of Dimes, club foot is the result of the ligaments, bones and tendons of the foot being deformed. The foot or feet are turned backward, making it difficult for a child to walk or maneuver. The condition is not painful and does not result in other difficulties for the child. Approximately half of cases of club foot affect both feet, making it extremely difficult for children to lay their feet flat in order to walk.

Causes

• According to the March of Dimes, the precise causes of club foot are not known. Environmental factors such as smoking, infection, drugs or exposure to other toxic chemicals can affect bone development, including club foot. Researchers at the University of Aberdeen were able to show recently that there is a specific gene that contributes to the development of the club foot condition in a fetus.

Surgery

• Surgery is one way to correct club foot. According to the March of Dimes and the University of Maryland, about 5 percent of club foot cases require surgery. In the past, surgery was considered the primary method of correcting club foot. However, the development of the Ponseti method about 50 years ago, the approach has changed.

Nonsurgical Approaches

• The Ponseti method of casting the foot is the most common nonsurgical method of treatment in the United States. According to the March of Dimes, this method corrects club foot in an infant within eight weeks. The foot is slowly manipulated to turn around while the bones are still soft and easily able to shift and change directions. The cast holds the foot in place while the body adjusts.

Prevention

• Although the precise causes of club foot are not known, given the high association with smoking and the development of club foot, according to the March of Dimes women who are pregnant should avoid smoking. There is little that can be done for genetic mutations or cases that develop because of genetic markers that are passed from generation to generation. Genetic testing before a child is born can help parents prepare for a child who may be born with the deformity.