What are the symptoms of congenital talipes equinus and how to treat it?

The fetus cannot be exposed to too much external force during its development, otherwise it will cause developmental damage and cause some tissues to not grow according to the normal developmental trajectory. For example, many newborns' limbs are deformed due to the impact, which has a very adverse effect on the growth of newborns. Among them, clubfoot is a typical deformation manifestation. Let's take a look at the manifestations of congenital clubfoot and how to treat it?

Clubfoot is a common and frequently occurring disease in children. Its etiology is still unclear. Most scholars believe that this deformity is caused by abnormal development or unbalanced muscle development due to the influence of internal and external factors in the early stages of embryonic development. It may also be related to the malposition of the fetus' feet in the mother's uterus.

Clubfoot is when the foot turns inward into a horseshoe shape.

It is mainly divided into congenital malformation and ankle inversion injury. It is one of the most common congenital malformations and is present at birth. The disease has genetic factors. The formation of clubfoot is mainly due to the imbalance of foot muscle strength, that is, the inverting muscles (tibialis anterior and tibialis posterior) are strong and shortened, the everting muscles (peroneus) are weak and elongated, and the plantar flexor (triceps surae) is stronger than the dorsiflexor (tibialis anterior). Muscle imbalance will eventually cause bone and joint deformities, and bearing weight will make the deformities even more severe.

1. Clinical manifestations: The foot tilts outward when walking, the inner side of the foot touches the ground during the support phase, and the foot is plantar flexed. It can cause pain on the medial side of the foot and significantly affect weight-bearing during the stance phase. When walking, the body's center of gravity is mainly placed on the front and inner side of the ankle. The ankle dorsiflexion is limited, which affects the anterior and posterior movement of the anterior tibia and increases eversion. Pain and poor stability in the talocrural joint. In the early stance phase, there may be hyperextension of the knee joint, lack of strength in push-off, and limb clearance disorder in the swing phase.

2. Treatment methods

(1) Passive exercise: The child lies in a supine position, and the therapist controls the lateral edge of the child's foot and repeatedly pulls it inward and outward to stimulate the excitability of the tibialis anterior and tibialis posterior muscles; the therapist quickly taps the tibialis anterior and tibialis posterior muscles to induce muscle contraction.

(2) Active exercise: The child can be asked to walk on a long wooden board with a triangular cross-section to facilitate the outer edge of the foot to bear weight. If the child's talocrural joint has partial mobility, the therapist can assist the child to complete the full range of motion of the joint. If the child is able to complete walking, a small piece of cloth or pad should be placed inside the child's shoe, under the arch of the foot, to raise the arch and allow the outer edge of the foot to bear part of the weight.