What is the treatment for congenital clubfoot?

  Congenital clubfoot is a common deformity in children that seriously affects the growth and development of bones and joints, and is probably the most common congenital deformity in the field of orthopedics that requires special treatment. According to statistics, about 100,000 newborns worldwide suffer from congenital clubfoot every year. The principle consensus for treatment is that most of the deformities can be better corrected if treated early and appropriately, but if left untreated, they will be crippled for life, affecting life and work. In China, due to the lack of medical resources, a large number of advanced cases are treated by traditional surgical treatment methods, which are too late, with greater surgical trauma and damage to the foot tissues, often resulting in stiffness of the joint and many problems in the long term functional outcome, affecting the movement of the foot and ankle. Most scholars in the international medical community believe that the initial treatment of congenital clubfoot should be non-surgical and that the neonatal period is the best time to treat congenital clubfoot.  The internationally recognized non-surgical treatment method is the Ponseti method, which was proposed by Ponseti at the University of Iowa and has a success rate of over 90% since its inception in the north. By applying this method to treat clubfoot, patients can obtain a strong, flexible and pain-free foot, completely avoiding the sequelae of recurrence, foot stiffness, pain and weakness brought about by surgical treatment, and more importantly, the method is simple, practical, effective and inexpensive, and easily accepted by patients and their families. Therefore, the United Nations International Health Organization (WHO) also advocates and supports the Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America (PONSA) to promote and apply the Ponseti method for the treatment of clubfoot worldwide.