Children’s Clubfoot
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As premier hip and knee replacement surgeons in Charleston, SC, Dr. Zimlich and Dr. Stem alleviate patient pain and discomfort using innovative techniques and technologies. Concentrating exclusively on knee and hip replacement, the Lowcountry Orthopaedics Hip and Knee Specialists operate at the Lowcountry Orthopaedics Surgery Center and area hospitals per patient preference.
Top rated for eight years in a row as Charleston’s Choice for best orthopedic surgeons, countless of satisfied patients walk away with a pain free, natural feeling knee or hip. From custom total knee arthroplasty using 3D printing to the area’s first and only outpatient surgery center based robotic knee replacement program, patients trust Lowcountry Orthopaedics Hip and Knee Specialists.
Signature services include:
- Custom total knee arthroplasty using 3D printing
- Same day robotic knee replacement program
- Personalized joint replacement experience
- Dedicated team of nurses, physician assistants, and physical therapists
- Proven outcomes for quick recovery and pain-free lives
Same day appointments are available at one of our convenient North Charleston, Summerville, or Daniel Island locations.
Clubfoot In Children
Clubfoot may occur as an isolated disorder (idiopathic) or in combination with various syndromes and other associated anomalies such as arthrogryposis and myelodysplasia. Medical examinations by your doctor or blood tests should be able to determine whether your baby’s clubfoot is idiopathic.
Clubfoot can be mild or severe and all cases require treatment. Clubfoot will not resolve without treatment. The clubfoot is not painful to the infant who does not yet walk.
The incidence of idiopathic clubfoot is estimated to be one to two per 1000 live births. It has a male predominance of 2:1 and occurs in both feet about 50 percent of the time. There is a much higher incidence if the patient has a positive family history of clubfoot.
The etiology of idiopathic clubfoot is unknown. The most widely accepted theory is that clubfoot is caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors.
Surgical & Nonsurgical Options
Manipulation & Casting
The initial treatment of clubfoot, regardless of severity, is nonsurgical. Manipulation and casting using the Ponseti method is the technique used most frequently in the United States. The majority of clubfeet can be corrected in infancy in about six to eight weeks with the proper gentle manipulations and plaster casts. The technique requires training, experience, and practice. Fewer than 5 percent of infants born with clubfeet may have very severe deformities that are unyielding to stretching. These infants will require surgical correction.
Manipulation & Casting
Surgery is indicated if there is a failure to achieve satisfactory clinical and radiographic evidence of deformity correction by nonsurgical methods, for residual deformities, and for recurrent deformities unresponsive to nonsurgical measures. Controversy surrounds the age at which clubfoot surgery should be performed. Most surgeons operate on the child between six months and one year of age.
Though there is some variation in surgical technique, all of the major reconstructive clubfoot surgeries involve extensive soft-tissue release of the posterior, medial, and lateral structures of the foot. The correction, once achieved, is usually held temporarily (six weeks) with wire fixation across the joints of the foot. More surgery is required to remove the wire.
The need for additional surgery after the first operation is reported to range from five percent to 50 percent.
Monday - Thursday 5pm to 7pm Saturday 8am to 12pm
No appointment necessary.
Call 843-266-4884 for information.
Lowcountry Orthopaedics’ Foot & Ankle Team
William Corey, MD
Foot & Ankle Specialist
Hip & Knee Specialists
Fast forward to feeling better with Lowcountry Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine’s board-certified and fellowship-trained surgeons that specialize in joint reconstruction and hip and knee surgery.
Same Day Appointments
Same-Day Joint Replacement
The benefits of same-day total hip or knee replacement surgery include fast recovery, lower risk of infection, no risk of hospital-acquired illness, cost reduction, and increased patient satisfaction. Patients interested in same-day joint surgery should schedule an evaluation with Dr. Zimlich to review their medical profile for candidacy.