Posted by Talipes equinovarus, or better known as clubfoot, is a complex birth defect that is developed during the major steps of fetal development. Clubfoot is defined as a congenital foot deformity that affects the bones, muscles, tendons, and blood vessels of the foot. Clubfoot is most common in baby boys, but females may also develop clubfoot. The course objective I will be using for my STEAM project is to“ describe the major steps of fetal development.” This is related to clubfoot because clubfoot is developed in the womb during fetal development.
Clubfoot is “a disorder of the lower limb. It is defined as fixation of the foot in adduction, in supination, and in varus, i.e., inclined inwards, axially rotated outwards, and pointing downwards. The calcaneus, navicular, and cuboid bones are medially rotated in relation to the talus, and are held in adduction and inversion by ligaments and tendons,” stated by (Miedzybrodzka.,2003) . Some additional background information on the birth defect clubfoot is that a “clubfoot diagnosis can be made as early as 13 weeks of gestation; 85% of diagnoses are made between 13 and 23 weeks of gestation. Before 13 weeks of gestation, a transient clubfoot position can be present as part of normal development. To diagnose clubfoot, one must visualize both the tibia and fibula in the same plane as the sole of the foot. Abnormal positioning persists over the duration of the scan.” Stated by (McKinney.,2019).
Some symptoms of clubfoot include the back of the foot turning inward, a deep crease in the bottom of the foot, the Achilles tendon being short or tight, and lastly, a foot or calf being smaller than the other. Clubfoot is formed in many different ways, with the most common way being in fetal development when the Achilles tendon is formed way too short. Another way clubfoot can be formed is by a baby having too little amniotic fluid in the womb, and some believe clubfoot is genetic. One hypothesis is the connective tissue hypothesis (Miedzybrodzka, 2003), which states that “the connective tissue hypothesis suggests that a primary abnormality of the connective tissue is responsible for clubfoot. This is supported by the association of ICTEV with joint laxity. Affected children have marked plantar fibrosis at surgery. Fetal studies give conflicting evidence performing a systematic pathological study of 12 fetuses with ICTEV. They concluded, “Muscular, tendinous, fascial & other soft tissue elements are not conspicuously abnormal.” Fortunately, in some cases clubfoot can be corrected. Some ways of treatment included devices like braces and casting to help stretch the leg out, as well as splinting and taping called the French method, and lastly, some surgery can help.
In conclusion, clubfoot is a very complex birth defect that is developed during the major steps of fetal development. This condition presents many people with significant challenges in their everyday lives, but there are a few ways to treat it.
Works Cited
Miedzybrodzka, Z. (n.d.). Wiley Online Library | Scientific Research Articles, journals, … http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1046/j.1469-7580.2003.00147.x/full
