Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

20 wk scan - talipes/clubfoot

33 replies

pregmummy · 23/01/2008 16:02

I have just had my scan and found out that my baby has club foot - which is a bit of a shock in itself and then told may be rsult of chromosomal probs such as downs syndrome - anyone else had this at their scan?

OP posts:
skerriesmum · 23/01/2008 16:06

Yes, my son has bilateral clubfeet. Be reassured that 99.9999% of the time it is an isolated problem, not in combination with other syndromes. I'm sure you've had testing for probability of Down's anyway?
A clubfoot is totally correctable. You're lucky you've found out now, because treatment can be different depending on where you live, etc. and you have time to research which surgeons you'll want to work with.
Feel free to ask more questions!

pregmummy · 26/02/2008 09:35

Hi skerriesmum
thanks for your msg - i have only just come back on to mumsnet...
My baby has structural talipes rather than positional - i believe structural is worse?
Has your son had surgery or just strapping etc / ponsetti method?
will treatment start from the moment he'she is born?
Many thanks!

OP posts:
LiegeAndLief · 26/02/2008 13:10

One of my friend's ds had this, in isolation I think, don't think he has any other problems. His foot was put in a cast soon after he was born and he then had special boots to wear. The amount of time he spent in them gradually reduced until he was only wearing them at night, I can't remember when they finally came off but was under a year I think. He is now 18 months old and racing around, you would never know he had ever had a club foot.

Best of luck with it all

finallypregnant · 26/02/2008 15:24

No direct involvement but a friend's daughter was born with club feet. He's now 8 months old. She had a cast applied when first born and a small operation about 2 months ago.

She's not been affected and is a happy and contented little soul!

Apparently no further treatment will be necessary.

SixSpotBurnet · 26/02/2008 15:35

Hi - yes, my DS2 had talipes, which was also picked up at the 20 week scan.

Please bear in mind that talipes itself is eminently treatable, and unless the scan identified any other anomalies which might be markers for a chromosomal disorder such as Down's, it is hugely likely that your baby just has talipes only.

My DS2 is now 6 1/2 and will have what is hopefully his final check-up in May this year. His feet look very good now and no-one who wasn't in the know would be able to detect anything wrong with them. He's not a very fast runner, but then again, neither am I, so I don't think that's to do with the talipes!

I know it is hard, but please try not to worry too much. Check out the STEPS website, if you haven't already.

pregmummy · 05/03/2008 15:32

Thanks for all your replies - any other expereinces, esp of structural talipes will be really welcome..thanks

OP posts:
kaa0901 · 05/03/2008 15:36

DS had talipes that were picked up at his 20wks scan but werent nearly as bad as we thought when he was born. they have pretty much corrected themselves (he's 5mths) with no intervention. the docs just think it was the way he was lying in the womb

duffster · 15/03/2008 23:03

Hi pregmummy. Our ds (now 5 months) was diagnosed at 20 weeks too with structural talipes. First thing we did was call Steps (steps-charity.org.uk) who were massively helpful and reassuring. We too had follow up scans to check for other problems, but vast majority of cases are isolated. We decided on the ponseti method after researching the long term effects of different treatments.
When ds was born we barely noticed his feet (in fact thought they were very cute!) as we were so happy to see him . He now wears his boots and bar overnight only. Today we were in a restaurant and the waitress tickled his bare feet and called them beautiful (dh and I got huge lump in throat!). And they are beautiful - perfect and he will walk, run and jump lke all the other boys in his class when the time comes.
If you do decide on ponseti, then make sure you go to a genuine expert as it needs to be an exact regime of treatment.
Please do cat me if you want more advice - when I was at your stage I found other people's experiences and stories really helpful in getting ready for ds' big arrival!

Sausageandmash · 16/03/2008 09:40

Hi, again no direct experience, but some friend's little boy had talipes and is absolutely fine now (3 years). They too chose to use the Ponsetti method and were very happy with the process. Hope this reassures. Also, I'd second the advice to approach steps. My daughter has hip problems and spent time in a spica - they were very helpful and had lots of practical advice.

zaphod · 16/03/2008 09:49

Ds1 who is 14 was born with bilateral talipes, when strapping didn't work he had a series of operations which did. We found Steps very helpful, I just wish we'd had Mumsnet then because we had no experience of talipes and no access to anyone who had.

Graciefer · 16/03/2008 10:11

Just to echo what has already been said re talipes.

DS2 was born with both Down's Syndrome and bilateral talipes, neither of which we were aware of before birth.

He began his ponseti treatment at 1 week old and he is now 6 months old and only in his boots and bars overnight.

His feet look perfect and are completely corrected (he will remain in boots and bars overnight until he is 4 in order to maintain this correct and prevent regression).

The ponseti method is absolutely fab and talipes really isn't that much to worry about compared to say 10 years ago in this country.

As for the link to Down's Syndrome, I wouldn't worry too much, as although children with DS can often suffer from talipes or hip problems, talipes certainly shouldn't be considered an indicator of DS.

If you need to chat or anything at anytime, please give me a shout, best of luck with the rest of your pregnancy

UmmFulaan · 16/03/2008 13:57

hiya

my baby has this problem too, along with a few other things, i went krazie linkign to to downs, you may see my posts on this forum ( as my baby has other soft spot indicators) but after the first few days, i jus decided it was best for me to relax and not trust my baby out...

it is curable, depending on how bad it is at birth, did they tell you can can fix itself before the baby is born?

also- i knw a gal who had it wen she was born, after her birth, amazing it went away!

hpe ur ok...

Twiglett · 16/03/2008 13:59

will email link to Blu .. her fabulous daredevil of a son has talipes .. he climbs like a bloody mountain goat (he's 5 or 6 now)

pregmummy · 16/03/2008 14:07

thank-you for recent messages - that is really kind.
i have been shocked to hear about how many people abort cos of talipes - unbelievable.
Anyway, it looked pretty bad on the scan but ofcourse is not the end of the world.
am just wondering how much time it will take up / how it will impact on our day to day lives? - as for various reasons we dont have an awful lot of 'spare' time.
Also, are all hospitals familiar with ponsetti method? i live in London so will be going to a london hospital but like with everything i guess, some hospitals are better than others..
Thanks

OP posts:
Graciefer · 16/03/2008 14:28

This is how it worked out for us.

DS2 was put into full leg casts on both legs at 1 week old (spent first week in transitional care ward).

First the physio's manipulate the feet in order to gain several 'scores', so they can see how the feet are improving over the weeks.

They then apply cast to both feet/legs, these cover the feet and go right up the top of the leg and are bent at the knee, in order to prevent the cast slipping.

It doesn't take long to do and casts dry within minutes.

This was done on a Monday morning and whole think takes less than 30 mins.

DS2 then remained in these casts until Sunday night, when we would bath him and remove the casts. They would go soft in the water and you simply unwrap them, this takes around 15 minutes but is easier with 2 of you (some hospitals ask you to remove them in the morning of your next appointment, or do it themselves).

The following day we went to hospital where the whole process was repeated, this continued for 8 weeks or so.

After this DS2 had a minor operation of his heel called a tenotomy, where a tiny cut is made at the back of each heel and the tendon cut. This was done under GA at my hospital, but some hospitals do it under LA. This procedure literally takes minutes to complete.

After this DS2 was in casts for 2 further weeks, the next visit to the hospital was for the fitting of boots and bars.

Most people think of these as splints or something similar, but they aren't like that, they are little sandal type boots connected by a bar underneath, that keep the feet pointing outwards. It is very similar to a snowboard set up.

The boots and bars bothered DS2 for a few days, as his legs no longer operated independantly (when he raised one the other had to follow, iyswim). Also we had to move him from moses basket to cot, adapt car seat slightly, make sure highchair had removeable bar in between legs etc. However with in a few days everyone was used to them.

DS2 had to stay in boots and bars for 23 hours a day until he was 6 months old, with checkups at the hospital every 2 months or so to check everything was going ok.

After 6 months it changed to being in the boots and bars for 14 hours a day (night time and naps only), which he will continue with until he is 4. We now see the physios once every 3 months or so, to check if he needs bigger boots etc (he has just got his first new pair, light blue and very nice).

His talipes are in affect fixed now, the boots and bars are just there to maintain it until he is 4 and the risk of regression is over.

So in my opinion it isnt overly time consuming once the cast stage is over and the visits to the hospital cut down, I admit it is a bit of a pain in boots and bar stage, having to wear clothes with no feet etc, but you really do get used to it in no time.

As long as you make sure you keep follow the method and don't slack with boots and bars times etc, talipes is no longer something to worry about.

I am not sure about hospitals, as I am in Devon, but I am pretty sure that most hospitals are doing the ponseti method now, as previously mentioned, the STEPS charity would have good information on this.

If I manage to get the photos from DS2 physio, I will post some before after ones, so you can see how successful the ponseti method is.

Hope this helps, if you have any questions, please give me a shout.

Graciefer · 16/03/2008 14:31

I should mention he wasn't in transitional care because of his talipes

Sorry for the long post and the numerous typos also.

duffster · 17/03/2008 11:33

We are at Chelsea and westminster, the most experienced team in London. They are highly recommended by Dr Pnseti himself who sent us an email to that effect which we used to get a referral from our GP. They are extremely successful in treating talipes there and are a centre for tertiary referrals, so can treat even the most difficult cases. Again, do contact me if you want help in getting referral or want to meet for coffee and meet ds and his feet!

SixSpotBurnet · 17/03/2008 11:37

At the time when DS2 was being treated, Ponseti was not the most usual method of treatment, but I think it is much more available, and is indeed the default option now, in most places.

It was very time-consuming for us as we had to travel from London to Sunderland fortnightly! Wherever you live, expect to have to attend for fortnightly cast changes. It takes up half a day at least.

Well worth it though.

ghosty · 17/03/2008 11:41

I have a friend whose DD1 and DD2 were both born with talipes (does bilateral mean BOTH feet? If so they had that).
I don't know many of the details but do know that both babies had surgery at about a week old followed by the boots attached to the bar treatment (Ponsetti I think?)
The little girls are 5 and 3 now and perfectly fine, you wouldn't even know (the 3 year old still needs to wear the boots at night).

SixSpotBurnet · 17/03/2008 11:44

By the way, if you are in East London or can get to East London and would like to come and meet my DS2 and see how fab his feet are now, you would be very welcome! CAT me if you want to.

Blu · 17/03/2008 11:47

Hello pregmummy, welcome to MN and huge congratulations on your pg.

yes, talipes was diagnosed at our 20 week scan - at King's, and also the other 'soft marker', echogenic focii.

Firstly, I am not 100% certain that they can be absolutely confident that the talipes is not positional, or how seveere it may be, until the baby is born, so you probably won't be able to plan treatment until after the birth. King's actually made us an appoointment with the paediatric orthopaedic consultant before he was born, which I found immensly helpful. Also the STEPS message boards. It mat be worth researching London hospitals that specialise in Ponsetti treatment.

Anyway - I can echo what others have said. Treatment is very successful, and beyond the discipline needed for the boots and bar, not too onerous. And what Twiglett says is true : my DS does indeed climb like a mountain goat, and in fact his problems are much more severe than talipes (he has a short leg, no fibula, fused ankle joints and a whole 'ray' missing from his foot) and he still climbs ike a mountain goat. He can't run like his friends but that is because of his short leg, not talipes.

As for soft markers - I was beside myself after the scan because they said that talipes and echogenic focii were soft markers for a range of trisomies, some non-viable. As a result, I had amnio. It was only afterwards that I investigated what soft marker means - and basically it is an unproven possibility that there may be a slight possibility of co-incidence between the conditions.

Because Ds's condition is more complicated, we were not able to go the Ponsetti route, so i am not sure of the Ponsetti specialists in London hospitals - but I would agree with the tactic of getting referred to an experienced consultant - and preferably in a teaching hospital.

I was very pleased that I knew anbout DS's foot before he was born, in a forewarned is forearmed sort of way, and it in no way interfered with our joy at his birth.

Blu · 17/03/2008 11:50

Oh, yes, I had heard that C&W is very good for Ponsetti treatment.

I think your GP can refer you - talk to your GP before the birth.

pregmummy · 26/03/2008 14:08

Thanks so much for all your replies and info - i shall digest properly in 3 wks time when start mat leave x

OP posts:
shubiedoo · 26/03/2008 16:16

Hi,
I just changed my name, I was skerriesmum!
There is a very good Yahoo group, "nosurgery4clubfoot" I think... mostly Americans though (I'm in Canada). STEPS would be more appropriate for doctor information.
Another good website is six-feet.com, by a mum with three clubfoot boys, all treated by Dr. Ponseti himself!
Good luck with your research, feel free to check back with more questions.

fleximum · 26/03/2008 16:23

I echo above reassuring comments about talipes. Also, are they 100% sure that it is true. As a student I came across a consultant who was so rubbish at scans that he told one poor woman that her child only had one foot (it of course came out perfect with both feet very much there).

Swipe left for the next trending thread