Baby's feet are slightly turned outward

Some careful mothers will find that their baby's feet are a little turned outward. This is most likely due to clubfoot, which is a deformity that occurs when a child is growing. This deformity may appear on one foot or on both feet during the child's development. Therefore, when it is found that the child's feet are a little turned outward, you must pay attention to it, even if it is treated. The following are treatment methods for baby's feet that are a little turned outward.

1. Manual therapy - After several weeks of manual therapy, the bones of the foot are restored to a nearly normal position, and the foot deformity is gradually corrected.

2. Plaster - After each manual treatment, the foot and calf are cast for 5-7 days to maintain the position of the foot.

3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 until the foot is corrected to the correct position.

4. To completely correct the foot, doctors usually cut the Achilles tendon. This minor surgery is performed under local anesthesia and takes only 10 minutes.

5. Bracing - As soon as the last cast is removed, your child will be fitted with a wearable brace:

a. Wear it for 3 months, 23 hours a day.

b. Wear it every time you sleep for the next 2 to 4 years.

Bracing is a key part of treatment. Even if your child's foot appears to have returned to normal, if they don't wear it every time they sleep, their foot may turn back, even after more than two and a half years of orthotics.

Clinical symptoms

1. Unilateral or bilateral foot deformities of varying degrees occur after birth, with the feet showing plantar flexion, inversion, and adduction deformities.

2. When the child learns to walk, he or she walks with the forefoot or the outer edge of the foot. As the child grows older, the deformity becomes more severe. In severe cases, the child walks with the dorsum of the foot on the ground, and bursae and calluses appear in the weight-bearing areas.

3. X-ray film, anteroposterior and lateral view of the affected foot: After birth, the ossification centers of the talus, calcaneus, and cuboid bones can be seen on the X-ray film, and sometimes the third cuneiform bone can be seen. All metatarsal bones and phalanges have appeared, while the ossification center of the tarsonavitoid bone does not appear until the age of 3.

4. Estimation of deformity based on three lines:

(1) Measure the heel-to-heel angle on the AP radiograph. If it is less than 30°, the foot is not inverted.

(2) Measure the angle between the longitudinal axis of the first metatarsal and the longitudinal axis of the talus, which is normally 0°-20°. (3) Measure the angle formed by the longitudinal axis of the talus and the plantar surface of the calcaneus on the lateral X-ray film, which is normally 35°-55°. If it is less than 30°, it indicates foot drop. If the talocereval angle is less than 15° and the angle formed by the intersection of the first metatarsal and the longitudinal axis of the talus is greater than 15°, it indicates talonavicular subluxation (Simon's 15° rule).