Crooked foot deformity in children

This is an automatically translated article.

The article was consulted with MSc Duong Van Sy - Department of Pediatrics - Neonatology, Vinmec Hai Phong International General Hospital.
Crooked foot is one of the most common deformities in children. The disease does not affect health, but it greatly interferes with children's daily life as well as body movements, especially those related to the lower extremities. The disease is curable if detected early and treated properly.

1. Crooked foot deformity

Clubfoot is one of the most common birth defects in children.
Crooked feet can occur in one or both of the child's legs. Your child may have a crooked foot or an eccentric foot. Clinically, it is common to see more cases of the foot being bent inward.
The cause of crooked feet has not been determined so far, but in fact, clinical cases show that this deformity has a lot to do with genetic factors. Research shows that in cases where one parent has a crooked foot at birth, the child has a 30% chance of having a crooked foot.
In addition, the child may have crooked feet due to the child's position when in the uterus, being forced in cases of narrow pelvis, twins, too large fetus compared to the uterine cavity...or Abnormalities in the Achilles tendon.
Common clinical forms of crooked foot:
Heel-touched foot is the most common type of deformity, easy to treat and almost no recurrence after treatment. Manifestations: the foot is excessively flexed in the dorsal region, the instep is almost touching the front of the shin, may be accompanied by signs of lateral heel curvature. Internal crooked foot deformity

Forefoot: the foot and forefoot are pressed inward, especially the big toe, and the humerus of the little toe is raised. Inward-tilted feet: Both feet are tilted inwards like a V-shape with a sharp angle formed by the toes. Congenital clubfoot: manifests a crooked toe-toe with 4 combined deformities: plantar flexion, medial flexion, pressure, and arch deformity. In congenital clubfoot deformity is often accompanied by muscle contractures, limited movement of ankle and foot joints. Crooked feet

2. Treatment of crooked feet

Crooked feet is one of the common malformations, which does not affect health but greatly affects the daily life and movement of children, and on the other hand can cause psychological damage, which can easily lead to complications. depression, autism. Therefore, early detection and treatment is essential. For newborns, if birth defects are detected after birth, it is necessary to conduct early treatment right after birth one to two weeks.
Treatment methods for crooked feet:
Movement in coordination with physical therapy: Exercise for children with gentle exercises, softening the contracted muscle areas. Exercise to stretch the hamstrings. Manual foot manipulation: should be done early when the child is young because it will be easier to do. When the child is older, the bones are stable, the adjustment will be difficult to achieve a good effect. The chiropractic for children is not done by themselves, but must be done by qualified doctors, nurses or technicians. Pay attention to strong exercise groups of flexors in the dorsal area, flexing the soles of the feet. Ponseti orthopedic cast method: is the main method used to treat crooked feet in infants and young children. Applied to congenital and complex clubfoot deformities, the recovery efficiency is up to 80-90%. Gently straighten the child's leg and then put it in the brace in a normal position., on average, the brace is about 5-6 splints, in some necessary cases there will be indications for minor surgery to release the achilles tendon. The child then needs to wear a splint for 3 weeks to aid in healing of the Achilles tendon. Let children wear special shoes that immobilize their feet for 23 hours a day, continuously for the first 2-3 months, then just wear them while they sleep until they are 4-5 years old. Treatment with orthopedic tape: This method should be applied from the first days after birth. Advantage: the foot will be kept in the correct position by the plastic sole with adhesive tape. Kinesio Tape Treatment: Apply to heel-toe or forefoot deformities. Splint or use orthopedic brace shoes: Apply to children with clubfoot after orthopedic cast. If using brace shoes, it is necessary to wear shoes continuously for the first time and there should be a change in the course of treatment as prescribed by the doctor directly treating.
Orthopedic surgery: As a last resort, applied to cases of treatment that do not respond to non-invasive methods or patients treated at a late stage, when the joints are completely fixed. , without the ability to adjust or influence from the outside.

Crooked foot is not an acute or serious disease, but it will have a great impact on a child's life later on, especially the ability to move and move around. The disease needs to be detected early and treated promptly to avoid complications later.
Ideally, the child should be brought to Vinmec so that the Orthopedic Department doctors can examine to rule out foot deformities that require early surgery and guide the family on how to practice to help the feet develop on schedule; help children integrate into a life of full body movement, healthy, have a better intellectual development foundation. (There are some exercises for each age group, although very simple, but the doctor needs to guide the family directly to understand, the exercise will have the desired effect).
As a key area of ​​Vinmec Health system, Pediatrics Department always brings satisfaction to customers and is highly appreciated by industry experts with:
Gathering a team of top doctors and nurses in Pediatrics : consists of leading experts with high professional qualifications (professors, associate professors, doctorates, masters), experienced, worked at major hospitals such as Bach Mai, 108.. Doctors All doctors are well-trained, professional, conscientious, knowledgeable about young psychology. In addition to domestic pediatric specialists, the Department of Pediatrics also has the participation of foreign experts (Japan, Singapore, Australia, USA) who are always pioneers in applying the latest and most effective treatment regimens. . Comprehensive services: In the field of Pediatrics, Vinmec provides a series of continuous medical examination and treatment services from Newborn to Pediatric and Vaccine,... according to international standards to help parents take care of their baby's health from birth to childhood. from birth to adulthood Specialized techniques: Vinmec has successfully deployed many specialized techniques to make the treatment of difficult diseases in Pediatrics more effective: neurosurgery - skull surgery, stem cell transplantation. blood in cancer treatment. Professional care: In addition to understanding children's psychology, Vinmec also pays special attention to the children's play space, helping them to have fun and get used to the hospital's environment, cooperate in treatment, improve the efficiency of medical treatment.

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