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Rose's Clubfoot Page |
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Rose's experience with clubfoot and her treatment with the Ponseti Method. |
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Rose was born January 30, 1999, weighing 6 pounds 10 ounces and 19 inches long. As she was set on my stomach, I noticed her left foot. We were told it would be no big deal to fix this condition called "clubfoot." Rose is a week and half old in this picture, February 9, 1999. This is what her foot looked like before her first casting. |
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Here's another capture of Rose's foot prior to casting. We were told it should respond well to casting, but we would be referred to a pediatric orthopedic doctor after about three months of casting who would determine if Rose needed surgery or not. We were very optimistic that Rose would not need surgery. |
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This is the fiberglass, thigh-high cast Rose received when we went to see the pediatric orthopedic doctor at 2.5 months. He wasn't pleased with the progress of her foot and told us she would need the surgery at around 6-7 months. We continued casting.
We discovered the fiberglass was MUCH easier than the plaster! We had to soak the plaster off, and the first couple times, Rose and I were in tears. With the fiberglass, we were able to peel it off in a few minutes.
We continued to see the ped ortho and the original ortho for castings. The surgery date was set for August 26, 1999. I was pretty unhappy with the way things were going, and I started to search around on the internet to see if I could find more information and support. Then I found out about Dr. Ponseti's method! |
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Rose's first cast! Daddy did the artwork. :) February 10, 1999, Rose received her first of five of these short plaster casts from her on-call orthopedic doctor. We found out later these casts were done incorrectly, as well as his stretching of her foot to position it. Her ortho told us the first time Rose was casted, he'd only treated six clubfeet. We didn't realize he wasn't our only option, and we trusted he knew what he was doing.. Rose was a very vocal child at her castings. I cried the first time, too. It was tough! |
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On July 8, 1999, I called Dr. Ignacio Ponseti at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City, Iowa. He returned my call immediately and spoke with me for about 20 minutes. I told him about Rose's treatment thus far. Dr. Ponseti's method is best started at birth, but we took Rose to see him at six months. She was three weeks shy of her scheduled surgery! Dr. Ponseti thought Rose had about a 50/50 chance of correction with his method, but he would know more if he saw her. I called him on a Wednesday, and he asked me if I could have Rose there by that Friday!
We live in Wisconsin and made the 7ish hour drive to Iowa City on August 4, 1999.
Dr Ponseti's method of manipulation and casting has amazing results with only five percent of his patients needing major surgery. He and another doctor, Dr. Dobbs, transformed Rose's foot. The plaster cast they applied was very awkward and large. Rose's foot was turned out more than we'd ever seen it. |
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This is Rose's cast after she received the heel cord tenotomy. We returned to Iowa City on August 11, 1999, for her second cast change.
Dr. Ponseti was extremely pleased with how much Rose's foot had achieved correction and suggested he could perform the heel cord tenotomy. A heel cord tenotomy is a minor surgery that is done in the office and takes maybe 10-15 minutes. We gave Rose some infant's Tylenol, and her foot was numbed with a local anesthetic. A small, one-quarter inch, scalpel was used to cut her achilles tendon in order to bring her heel down. With a baby under a year, the achilles tendon repairs itself. I was not in the room for this procedure, but I felt so calm and confident that was in good hands. She had a lot of prayers surrounding her.
Rose was put in another larger plaster cast. The foot turned out even further and looked quite odd. The first couple of nights and days were rough, but we made it through. The cast had blood on it, which grossed a few people out, and it remained on for the duration of three weeks. |
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On September 1, 1999, Rose had her last cast removed. What a beautiful foot! It was puffy and red, but it was so straight. Rose is wearing a FAB (foot abduction bar) here. From September 1st to December 1st, Rose wore the brace 23/7. We gradually decreased time until she was only wearing the brace while sleeping. When Rose was 10 months old, she got to wear her first pair of real shoes!
Rose wore the FAB for two years. September 1, 2001, marked her first brace-free night! Dr. Ponseti normally prescribes the usage of the FAB for 3-4 years. Dr. Ponseti noticed Rose had loose ligaments at around two years of age and recommended we stop using the brace at 2 1/2. With loose ligaments, there is the possibility of overcorrection or rockerbottom feet.
The FAB is to maintain correction, so that there is hopefully no relapse of the clubfoot. |
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Rose's beautiful feet at one year old!! See if you can tell. Rose had great success with Dr. Ponseti's Method. She is now over four, and her foot is fully functional and straight.
I know God has touched us so much throughout our experience with Rose's foot. We have learned a lesson in faith and trust. We've met some wonderful people and beautiful babies with clubfeet, and we have been touched by their stories. |
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