Fax: (239) 692-9436
Tel: 239-430-3668This patient’s story is a humbling reminder of how much the ability to walk means. Brought to the United States by a missionary from St. Lucia, this young woman had a rigid equinus deformity from a residual (untreated) clubfoot. Before treatment she could not properly care for herself; today she is walking, leading a good life back home, and has a family of her own.
What Is Clubfoot and Residual Clubfoot?
Clubfoot (talipes equinovarus) is a birth deformity in which the foot is turned inward and downward. When treated early in infancy — usually with the Ponseti casting method — most children do very well. But when clubfoot goes untreated or comes back, it becomes a residual clubfoot: a stiff, often painful deformity in an older child or adult that no longer responds to casting alone.
What Is Equinus?
Equinus means the foot is fixed in a toes-down position, as if permanently pointing, because of a tight Achilles/calf complex or bony block at the ankle. A rigid equinus cannot be stretched back to neutral, which makes walking difficult and throws abnormal pressure onto the rest of the foot.
How Severe Deformities Are Corrected
Correcting a rigid, residual deformity is reconstructive surgery, often combining tendon lengthening or transfers, releases of tight joints, and bony procedures (osteotomies or fusions) to bring the foot back to a stable, plantigrade position that can bear weight. These cases require a surgeon experienced in complex foot and ankle reconstruction — and, as this patient shows, the payoff can be life-changing.
If you or a loved one has a complex or long-standing foot deformity, a specialist evaluation can lay out what is possible. Call (239) 430-3668 (FOOT) or book online at NaplesPodiatrist.com.
Serving Southwest Florida since 2005, Family Foot & Leg Center has 9 convenient locations throughout Collier, Lee, Charlotte, and Sarasota Counties — Naples, Estero, Fort Myers, Cape Coral, Port Charlotte, and Sarasota. We provide pediatric to geriatric foot and ankle care: ingrown toenails, heel pain, bunions, foot & ankle arthritis, plantar fasciitis, foot & ankle surgery, custom orthotics, and diabetic wound care — with in-office X-rays, diagnostic ultrasound, and minor surgical suites. Home of the Lam Minimally Invasive No-Scar Bunion Surgery. Same-day appointments and easy online scheduling.
