Most babies with clubfoot can be diagnosed before birth with a painless ultrasound. The further along into pregnancy, the easier it is to see a clubfoot in an ultrasound. It is important to note that there is approximately a 20% false positive rate based on ultrasound diagnosis.

f a diagnosis of clubfoot is made before birth, then it’s a good idea to talk to an orthopedic surgeon on how to fix your baby’s clubfoot immediately after it is born. Once the baby is born, diagnosis of the clubfoot may also include an x-ray or a CT scan. This is done so that the doctor can see exactly how the foot’s bones, ligaments and tendons are affected. Clubfoot in newborns is fairly easy to diagnose.

Clubfoot treatment for babies, using the Ponseti Method, should begin as soon as possible after birth. This is important because the baby’s bones, ligaments and tendons are still soft and palatable. They can be gently moved around, allowing the doctor to move the clubfoot into the normal position in degrees (a little bit, a little bit more, etc).

The longer you wait, the more difficult it is to correct your baby’s clubfoot. Learn more