For Parents

 

Clubfoot information

What is clubfoot?

Clubfoot is a deformity present at birth that twists the foot downward and inward, making walking difficult or impossible. While it cannot be prevented, it can be corrected using a relatively inexpensive treatment process called the Ponseti method.

Read more about Clubfoot

Can it be treated?

Yes, clubfoot can be treated! We adhere to treatment through the Ponseti method, the gold standard of clubfoot treatment. The treatment phase involves weekly casting for four to eight weeks and, in most cases, a minimally-invasive outpatient procedure to lengthen the Achilles tendon, called a tenotomy. After this, in the maintenance phase, children wear a foot abduction brace for 23 hours a day for three months, and then at night and nap time until the age of five. Children born with clubfoot can take their first steps on completely straight feet thanks to early intervention and to this relatively simple, cost-effective treatment method.

Where can I get help?

We currently operate partner clubfoot clinics in 16 countries in Africa and Latin America. Click the “find a clinic” button below to see if there is a Hope Walks partner clubfoot clinic near you. If not, please contact us and we’ll do our best to refer you to someone who can help.

Find a Clinic

Parent Education Tool

A guide for parents of children with clubfoot. Download in your language.

English
Amharic
Chinchewa
Creole
French
Kinyarwanda
Kirundi
Portuguese
Spanish
Swahili

Video Resources

Hope Walks has been working in partnership with Medical Aid Films to create four films about clubfoot and the Ponseti method of treatment. These films are used to train parent advisors, as well as an educational tool for parents. Videos (with and without English/French subtitles) are available for streaming or download by clicking the images below. Currently the videos are in English, French and Portuguese. Within the next few weeks, Spanish, Amharic and Kinyarwanda translations will be available.

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Stories from Our Families

A father’s little secret

A father’s little secret

Aug 31, 2020

Florence in Zambia When Florence was born with clubfoot, her parents were afraid for their child's future. They were concerned her family and neighbors would not accept her. The hospital that delivered Florence encouraged them to take her to the Beit CURE hospital in...

Facing the raging sea

Facing the raging sea

Aug 4, 2020

Shnaidine in HaitiIt?s amazing the challenges many parents go through to get clubfoot treatment for their child. For most of us, that usually involves a short car ride. For Vonia in Haiti, it meant transporting her daughter Shnaidine by boat from their home on La...

Little angels on earth

Little angels on earth

Aug 4, 2020

Francisco sees each of the children he deals with as a Hope Walks parent advisor in Mozambique as little angels on earth. The patients who impact him the most are those who come to the clinic with other health problems in addition to clubfoot. He first started working...