Club feet can be a painful condition for just about anybody and affects newborns at a surprisingly high rate. As a result, parents of children with this condition need to fully understand how reconstructive surgery may help. This care option is often the last and best choice for this deformity and may help a child become a competitive athlete in spite of the state of their foot.
Club Foot May Plague a Child for Years
Parents expecting an athletic and strong child may be devastated when their child is born with a club foot. This condition causes the top of at least one foot to point downward and makes the soles face each other. In many cases, both feet may be affected. When this happens, a child will have to adapt to this positioning or get early surgery that can help correct the positioning of their foot.
However, a club foot may linger long after the initial surgery and become very painful for years. As a result, parents need to watch their child for symptoms of pain while they walk. If a child struggles to walk or experiences excessive pain when exercising or performing other physical activities, it may be time to think of reconstructive surgery as a solution for this situation.
How Reconstructive Surgery Can Help
Reconstructive surgery takes on many different forms, including fixing issues such as club feet. The methods used for a child after early attempts to fix the problem require resetting the bones in the foot to ensure that they are positioned properly and then waiting for the foot to heal fully. In this way, a child with a club foot may get the straight foot that they deserve.
Just as importantly, this type of surgery can help a child regain an athletic interest that their parents may want them to show. Children who go through reconstructive surgery for a club foot are likely to walk more easily, run, and compete without staggering or falling. Even if a child doesn't become an athlete, the improved usefulness of their foot will help improve their confidence.
If your child was born with a club foot and you're not sure that early surgical attempts were successful, you should consider getting reconstructive surgery on their foot as soon as possible. This type of treatment will correct their foot's positioning and make it easier for them to walk and adapt.
For more information, contact a reconstructive surgeon.
Share14 October 2019
One day I was playing a game of basketball with a friend, and the friend I was playing ball with tripped and took a hard fall to the ground. He hit his head hard, but he insisted he was okay and just wanted to go home and take a nap. I knew in my heart that he was not thinking clearly, and I didn't feel right letting him go home. I talked him into letting me take him to the hospital, and after some tests, it was determined he had a bad concussion. The doctors told me that if I had let him go home and sleep, things could have taken a turn for the worse. I created this blog to remind everyone to look out for each other after injuries. Not everyone thinks clearly after a head injury, and just being a good friend could save a life.