Surgery + Orthotics Aid Rehabilitation of 10-Year-Old Boy with Clubfoot

(Disclaimer: This article is only for scientific purposes, in order to protect the privacy of the child, the following content of the relevant information has been processed) Abstract: The patient is a 10-year-old boy, the birth of the right foot turned inward, but due to parental negligence, the birth of the parents did not carry out timely corrective treatment, in recent years, when walking the heel is higher and higher, the foot is also inwardly turned to the severe, so to the clinic. After examination, the patient was diagnosed with clubfoot. After communicating with the parents, the patient chose to receive surgical treatment and orthopedic treatment. After treatment, the orthopedic effect was good, and the foot deformity was partially restored, and the child and his parents expressed their satisfaction. Basic information] Male, 10 years old [Type of disease] clubfoot [Hospital] The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University [Date of consultation] June 2021 [Treatment plan] Self-massage correction + surgical treatment (root tendon opening and lengthening + medial soft tissue laxation) + plaster casting + corrective shoes [Treatment period] 1 month of manipulative massage, 1 week of hospitalization, and regular follow up [Treatment effect Partial recovery of foot deformity, improvement of walking posture, good corrective effect I. Initial Consultation According to the child’s parents, the child’s right foot has been inverted since birth, but due to economic reasons, the child did not receive timely medical treatment. In recent years, the child’s heel has been raised higher and higher when he walks, and his foot has also turned inward, so he came to the clinic. Physical examination: the child’s foot was obviously turned inward, accompanied by tension and contracture of the Achilles tendon. Although the deformity could be corrected by manipulation, it could not be maintained for a long period of time, and the foot would still turn inward when the hand was released. Radiographs showed normal bone development and no deformity. The child was diagnosed with clubfoot. After communicating with the parents, it was decided that the child would be admitted to the hospital after 1 month of self-massage. (In January before the child was admitted to the hospital, the parents were instructed to help correct the foot by manipulative massage at home, and intermittent foot soaking and hot compresses were applied to relax the soft tissues of the ankle as much as possible. After admission, the child underwent open Achilles tendon lengthening surgery and medial soft tissue release surgery to relieve the intrinsic factors of inversion of the foot. Immediately after the surgery, the child was allowed to wear an orthopedic cast on the foot and ankle. After the surgery, the child was allowed to wear an ankle cast, and the parents agreed that after the cast was removed, the child would need to wear orthopedic shoes until the bones matured. After the surgery, the child’s inversion deformity was significantly improved, the ankle and toe activities were not affected, and the skin sensation of the foot was normal. The patient was discharged from the hospital 1 week after the surgery, and the patient was in good condition at the time of discharge, and the parents were instructed to follow up and remove the cast at 6 weeks after the surgery. After 6 weeks of correction, the parents and their child came to the hospital for follow-up, and the correction of the child’s hallux valgus deformity had begun to bear fruit, with a slight improvement in his walking posture, so he was immediately replaced with corrective shoes. After that, the child started to walk on the ground with the corrective shoes, and the angle of the corrective shoes was adjusted according to the follow-up examination and the foot shape. One year after the operation, the corrective effect was good, and the inversion deformity had improved significantly. At this time, we found that the child’s shoes were on the small side, so we adjusted the shoe size for him. Note: We are glad that the child’s foot deformity has improved after the surgical treatment. Since clubfoot should be corrected as early as possible, and this child is already ten years old, although the surgical effect is good, long-term follow-up observation is needed to avoid recurrence of the deformity. Therefore, the child needs regular outpatient follow-up and active exercise after discharge from the hospital. After the surgery, when wearing the cast, you need to pay attention to the degree of swelling of the foot, whether there is any sensory abnormality and ischemia, if there is any abnormality, you should consult a doctor in time. After the removal of the cast, it is necessary to wear orthopedic shoes until adulthood, and review the foot X-ray once every six months, and change the orthopedic shoes according to the need during the review. Personal perception Horseshoe inversion foot should be treated as early as possible. If the patient is a child within 2 weeks of birth, Panseti therapy can be used to correct the deformity step by step, avoiding over-correction that may cause damage to nerves, blood vessels or tendons; for children over 1 year old, soft tissue release surgery can be chosen; if the child is older, such as the child of the present case who is already more than 10 years old, open root tendon lengthening + medial plantar soft tissue release, together with soft tissue release surgery, the patient will have to go to the doctor for treatment. If the child is older, such as in this case, he can undergo open root tendon lengthening + medial foot soft tissue release surgery, together with orthopedic shoes to help recovery. In conclusion, once the child is found to have this disease, should consult the doctor as soon as possible, according to the doctor’s advice to choose the most appropriate treatment plan, do not take a chance and wait for self-recovery.