Angela Onwuzoo To eliminate disability caused by clubfoot in Nigeria, parents of children born with the congenital deformity must present them early for treatment, orthopaedic surgeons have advised. The bone specialists said parents should stop linking the birth of a child with clubfoot to a spiritual attack or punishment from God. The surgeons said these myths and misconceptions which deny a lot of children access to treatment must be jettisoned if the social stigma attached to the condition must be checked.
Experts say untreated clubfoot results in a lifetime disability, causing pain, difficulty walking, stigmatisation, and limited access to education and economic opportunities. 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.
“Clubfoot happens because of an issue with your child’s tendons, the tissues that connect muscle to bone. “The tendons in your baby’s leg and foot are shorter and tighter than they should be. That causes the foot to twist.
About half of babies with clubfoot have an issue with both feet”, the clinic said. No fewer than 10,000 children are born with clubfoot in Nigeria annually according to a non-governmental organisation, Nigeria Clubfoot Treatment Partners. Currently, the cause of clubfoot is unknown (idi.