What is Talipes

There are several different forms of Talipes, but Scott's foot deformity is referred to as congenital Bilateral Talipes Equinovarus (CTEV), but is otherwise known as clubfoot.

Congenital - born with

Bilateral - both feet

Talipes Equinovarus - in which the heel is drawn up and the sole turned inwards

During pregnancy, the Talipes position of the foot is part of normal development, but Talipes can occur when something happens to arrest the growth of the foot, and it never gets past this position. The cause is not really understood, and there are research projects taking place to try to determine if it is purely hereditary, or if there are other factors such as lifestyle, environment, diet, and so on. The incidence is 1 per 1000 live births, but it is slightly more common in boys. It may be hereditary in our case, as my cousin's grand-daughter has the same condition, but in one foot. However, this does not prove a genetic link.

A similar condition can occur as a result of intra-uterine pressure on the foetus (not enough space in the womb!) but this is not the same as Scott's condition, and is a condition that is generally more easily treated. Feet deformed in this manner are essentially normal feet, whilst sufferers of CTEV will have feet which are structurally different form normal feet (bone structure, blood vessels, etc).

There can be other complications present with clubfoot (some mental conditions, cleft palate, hair lip, major organ problems), but we are fortunate that Scott's feet are his only problem. He is otherwise a very happy, lively and intelligent little boy!

There are different treatment options available, depending on the diagnosis, and on your chosen surgeon, but whatever the treatment, the feet will never be completely normal. The objective is to achieve functional feet, and for normal footwear to eventually be worn. In many cases, people would not guess that a problem existed once treatment has taken place, but tell tale signs would be the scars if surgery has taken place, the crease on the inside of the foot, the smaller than average feet, inflexibility in the feet, the very skinny calves, and possibly feet that turn in a bit.