Angela Onwuzoo A Professor of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery, Mike Ogirima, has said congenital clubfoot (present at birth) also known as idiopathic clubfoot can be successfully treated without surgery, using manipulative technique. The manipulative technique also known as the Ponseti method is a nonsurgical treatment for clubfoot that uses casts and braces to help the child’s foot function normally. Ogirima, a past President of the Nigerian Medical Association, said clubfoot could be effectively treated through physical manipulations.
He explained that surgery was no longer necessary in the treatment of idiopathic clubfoot since the manipulative treatment approach was adopted. The surgeon, however, said the cause of idiopathic clubfoot is unknown. He noted that untreated clubfoot results in a lifetime disability, causing pain, difficulty walking, stigmatisation, and limited access to education and economic opportunities.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with PUNCH Healthwise, the don disclosed that to eliminate disability caused by clubfoot in Nigeria, parents of children born with congenital deformities must present them early for treatment. According to the Cleveland Clinic, clubfoot is a congenital (present at birth) condition in which a baby’s foot or feet turn inward. Approximately one in every 1,000 babies the clinic states will be born with clubfoot, which makes it one of the more common congenital foot deformities.
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