Free
E-newsletter
Subscribe to Housecall
Our weekly general interest
e-newsletter keeps you up to date
on a wide variety of health topics.
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Definition
By Mayo Clinic staff
Clubfoot describes a range of foot abnormalities usually present at birth (congenital) in which your baby's foot is twisted out of shape or position. In clubfoot, the tissues connecting the muscles to the bone (tendons) are shorter than usual. The term "clubfoot" refers to the way the foot is positioned at a sharp angle to the ankle, like the head of a golf club. Clubfoot is a fairly common birth defect and is usually an isolated problem for an otherwise healthy newborn.
Clubfoot can be mild or severe. About half of children with clubfoot have it in both feet. If your child has clubfoot, it will make it hard for him or her to walk normally, so doctors generally recommend treating it soon after birth.
Doctors are usually able to treat clubfoot successfully, though sometimes children need follow-up surgery later on.
- AskMayoExpert. Can clubfoot be diagnosed in utero? Rochester, Minn.: Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research; 2012.
- AskMayoExpert. Is further surgical intervention needed for congenital clubfoot? Rochester, Minn.: Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research; 2012.
- AskMayoExpert. Are other medical conditions associated with congenital clubfoot? Rochester, Minn.: Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research; 2012.
- AskMayoExpert. Why should a patient be referred to a pediatric orthopedic surgeon for the treatment of congenital clubfoot? Rochester, Minn.: Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research; 2012.
- AskMayoExpert. What is the usual treatment for congenital clubfoot? Rochester, Minn.: Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research; 2012.
- AskMayoExpert. Clubfoot: Key facts. Rochester, Minn.: Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research; 2012.
- Kliegman RM, et al. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 19th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2011. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/208746819-6/0/1608/0.html. Accessed Feb. 6, 2013.
- Canale ST, et al. Campbell's Operative Orthopaedics. 11th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby Elsevier; 2008. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/208746819-4/0/1584/0.html. Accessed Feb. 5, 2013.
- Bridgens J, et al. Current management of clubfoot (congenital talipes equinovarus). BMJ. 2010;340:c355.
- Birth defects. March of Dimes. http://www.marchofdimes.com/baby/birthdefects_clubfoot.html#. Accessed Feb. 6, 2013.
- Dobbs MB, et al. Update on clubfoot: Etiology and treatment. Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research. 2009;467:1146.
Find Mayo Clinic on