Updated concept of congenital idiopathic clubfoot treatment

Abstract

The congenital clubfoot is a complex deformity associated with skeletal and muscular changes and it is morphologically characterized by foot equine, varus, cavus and adductus. It presents a variable incidence between sex and race. In accordance with etiology it is classified as the following types: idiopathic, postural, neurologic and syndromic. The idiopathic congenital clubfoot, which is the focus of this study, is characterized by flexible or structured commitment of foot alignment that may evolve into different grades with pain and loss of function. The diagnosis is essentially clinical and the treatment aims at obtaining an aligned foot, with no pain and appropriated function. The current tendency is a conservative treatment that must be started as precociously as possible at the phase when deformities have not been structured yet. Among the several treatment methods, the Ponseti’s is emphasized, which is the objective of this literature review and that has been highlighted for the great results, once it is correctly applied at the right moment.