Thanksgiving is getting closer, reminding everyone to count their blessings and consider the good things they have in life. If all your children’s feet were born healthy and strong, that’s a big reason to give thanks. Many people take healthy feet for granted, but a foot deformity in children, like clubfoot, is more common than you might think. That’s why the Mark Gasparini, D.P.M. team encourages you to know the signs of conditions like clubfoot so you can get the help your family needs and be able to give thanks for healthy feet this Thanksgiving.
A foot deformity is anything that changes the foot’s natural shape and function. It can be something you’re born with, something that develops over time, or something that results from an injury. They can affect adult and children’s feet, though some types are more common in certain age groups. Deformities need to be treated to allow you or your child to walk normally—and the earlier you treat the problem, the easier it is to manage. That’s why identifying the condition early on is so important.
The good news is that clubfoot is easy to identify. It’s usually present at birth and the changes it makes to lower limbs are fairly distinct. The foot is typically twisted down and inward, giving it a golf club-like shape. Severely affected feet may look like they’re upside down. One or both of the feet may be involved. The affected foot will be smaller than the healthy one, and the calf muscle will be underdeveloped.
Clubfoot doesn’t cause pain for your infant son or daughter, but it will make walking very difficult when he or she grows older. The condition does not improve on its own, but it does respond well to early treatment options. As soon as your child is diagnosed, let our team at Mark Gasparini, D.P.M., know so that we can help. Don’t wait and risk complications later. Contact our Massapequa, NY, office for more information or an appointment. You can reach us by calling (516) 804-9038 or by using the web request page.
Photo Credit: David Castillo Dominici via FreeDigitalPhotos.net
