What is Clubfoot?
Clubfoot (Congenital Talipes Equinovarus — CTEV) is a complex congenital deformity of the foot, caused by the abnormal development of a baby’s bones, ligaments and muscles in the womb. Visually, the foot is twisted inwards and downwards. It is painless in infancy but, if untreated, causes permanent disability as the child grows.
Clubfoot and its Prevalence in Bangladesh
Every year in Bangladesh an estimated 3,900 children are born with a clubfoot deformity — a condition where the feet are turned inside at birth.
Left untreated, the condition leads to lifelong deformity causing individual disability and potential unproductivity. This causes the children to grow up as burdens of the family and ultimately leads to significant poverty. Many of the beggars in Bangladesh have clubfoot.
Treatment
The world-wide standard of treatment is now the Ponseti Method: it is effective, inexpensive, and gives outstanding results. Worldwide it has a 95% success rate. Through progressive casting, the soft, pliable tissues of the foot are corrected. There is no invasive surgery. Children can enrol as young as one month old.