This site is a compilation of information on complex clubfoot, also known as atypical clubfoot and clubfoot with plantaris. This unusual form of clubfoot is has only been officially recognized and studied since late 2003.  There are still many pediatric orthopeds who know nothing of it, or who do not know how to effectively treat it.

The information on this site is geared specifically towards the Ponseti Method of treatment for clubfoot because to my knowledge this is not something recognized in feet corrected with traditional surgery, although it is likely that there are feet out there that were surgically corrected that were complex at origin.  Much of the information has come directly from Dr. Ponseti himself as well as a few other doctors practicing the Ponseti Method that have encountered  and subsequently learned to treat complex clubfoot.

Keep in mind that I am simply a parent who has gone to the trouble of gathering information.  I am not a doctor and cannot tell you if your child has complex clubfoot.

10/01/03  Open of site - the site is still being built, so please bear with me!

10/19/11  I will be performing an update to the site throughout the next few weeks. Included will be current updates to Kai's story, and hopefully those of other children with atypical cases!

Suggestions Always Welcome

While I have worked hard to bring together all of this information, I do not claim to be an authority on the subject. If you have information that you would like added to this site, or have a suggestion about information that is needed or the site in genereal, please contact me.

Why Me? My Reason For Creating This Site

My son, Kai, was born with unilateral right clubfoot. We were very fortunate in that the doctor we were referred to by the local orthoped is a very experienced Ponseti trained doctor. I also had the luck that one of the other mothers in an online expecting club I was in had an older child with clubfoot who was treated by Dr. Ponseti, and she directed me to the Yahoo! nosurgery4clubfoot site, as well as other helpful sites.

However, after 7 months of doing everything right, Kai's foot still looked strange - not just like the other foot as everyone had promised, and definitely not like the photos of corrected clubfeet I was seeing. In desperation, I sent an e-mail with photos to Dr. Ponseti.  Thus started the journey of a lifetime; I left my husband, my six-year-old and my two-year-old behind at our home in Washington state, and took my then 8 1/2 month old son to see Dr. Ponseti in Iowa City.

While in Iowa City, I learned a great deal about atypical clubfoot, which at that time was being called plantaris, and is somewhat rare. I realized that more parents and doctors needed to have this information, so here we are! 

I have tried to collect as much information as possible, and have done my best to put it all together in an easily understandable way so that you don’t need a medical dictionary to figure it out. ;-)

Send an email