| The "Not-An-A" List The doctors on this list have been used and are NOT recommended by other parents of children born with clubfeet. |
| The "A" List The doctors on this list have been used and recommended by other parents of children born with clubfeet. |
Shawnee Reese, owner of Six-Feet.com, offers the following two lists as a public service only. Aside from the few doctors in
Iowa City Iowa whom Shawnee has had personal experience with, and Dr. Dobbs of St. Louis Missouri, Shawnee neither supports
nor condemns any doctor listed here. Opinions offered to recommend, or not recommend, any particular doctor or clinic are
solely those of the parent who offers the opinion. Visitors to this website are strongly urged to make no decisions based upon the
information given here. Please understand these are personal-opinions only and you should do your own research and make up
your own mind about whom you choose to treat yourself or your child.
Iowa City Iowa whom Shawnee has had personal experience with, and Dr. Dobbs of St. Louis Missouri, Shawnee neither supports
nor condemns any doctor listed here. Opinions offered to recommend, or not recommend, any particular doctor or clinic are
solely those of the parent who offers the opinion. Visitors to this website are strongly urged to make no decisions based upon the
information given here. Please understand these are personal-opinions only and you should do your own research and make up
your own mind about whom you choose to treat yourself or your child.
FLORIDA
From Jen in Jacksonville, Florida:
Dr. Leah Pike, Nemours Childrens Clinic,
Jacksonville, FL: Says she was
trained by Dr. Ponseti, but immediately suggested
joint capsulotomy. Also, Dr. Ponseti has never
heard of her. Put daughter's last cast at 92 degrees
- degree was measured at ER where the cast was
taken off due to intolerance.
Another Parent Report about Dr. Pike:
We are in Jacksonville... If you are referring to Leah
Pike, then I would say no matter whether she was
recently in Iowa or not, I would never trust my
child to her care again. She made us run, not
walk to
Iowa for all of my daughter's future care, including
all check-ups.
Dr. John Mazur, Nemours Children's Clinic,
Jacksonville, FL: Seems well versed in Ponseti
Method. However, does not do his own casting, but
instead has casting techs do it, then he comes in to
look at casts after the fact. Put daughter in
reverse-last Markells before feet were fully
corrected, said that she and I would have to 'suck it
up' for the next 5 years-the fact that she screamed
for two months in the shoes. Was not open to
straight-last model, or even the Markells with the
hole cut out in the heel.
Dr. Jay Cummings, Nemours Children's Clinic,
Jacksonville, FL: Head of Orthopaedics for
Nemours, Jacksonville. Seems to know some of
Ponseti Method. However, released a local boy from
bracing at a little over a year old. Said it was not
necessary once the child was weight-bearing and
walking. Now, Dr. Cummings will be performing
ATTT on this now 4 year old boy due to relapse.
Was invited to go to Iowa for training by Drs. Ponseti
and Morcuende, and accepted invitation. (Joyce
Roller excitedly emailed me with this info) However,
it has been two years, and Cummings has told me
that they 'Just don't have the time..."
Jenn
***************************************************************
Tampa Florida
I have heard from another mother who had a very
negative experience with the other doc, Dr.Grogan,
and ended up taking her child to Dr. Ponseti. She
said Dr. Grogan had a terrible bedside manner and
was very quick to give up when her child's treatment
was not successful and recommended surgery
which Dr. Ponseti's expert hands were able to avoid.
Another report:
The two doctors at Tampa Shriner's have very
different approaches and from what I have heard
about Dr. Grogan, it does not sound like he adheres
to the Ponseti protocol.
****************************************************************
Gainesville Florida
To date there is not a Ponseti Method doctor
practicing in Gainesville. There are two doctors -
Dr. Woo and Dr. Angeles who claim to use the
method at Shands, however I have had one
unfavorable report about Dr. Angeles and Dr.
Ponseti specifically will not recommend Dr.
Woo although Dr. Woo did train with Ponseti many
years ago. Dr. Woo has modified the method and is
not the "Ponseti Method" doctor he claims to be.
Because Woo trained Angeles, we should assume
that Dr. Angeles should not be trusted either.
******************************************************************
NORTH CAROLINA
Dr Wattenbarger in Charlotte, NC.
Dr. Walter Greene (last paragraph)
My reasons for not recommending him are:
Poor bedside manner (abrupt, seems annoyed by
questions).
Did not provide very much information about club
foot.
Claimed to use the Ponseti method, but I found
many instances where he deviated from protocol.
I believe he put my son in Denis Browne Bar shoes
before he was fully corrected.
He has parents soak off casts the day before the
appointment. My son lost correction markedly
between cast removal and the appointment. I don't
think the doctor believed me, even though I had
pictures of it.
He did a heel cord lengthening with absolutely no
pain management at all.
We had to see other doctors, often with no notice,
when he was not available. Several times he would
tell us to come back the next week and not have any
time available for an appointment.
He kept our son in casts at least seven days, had
our son stay in a cast (not after a TAL [(tenotomy],
but while still correcting) for over two weeks while he
went out of the country.
Would not consider any other options besides the
Denis Browne Bar shoes even though my son could
get out of them and hated them (found out later that
it was probably because he was not corrected yet).
Anyway, I could go on and on, but you get my drift!
We also had a bad experience with another doctor,
who stopped practicing while treating our son, his
name was Dr. Walter Greene. He had us do an
AFO and my son's foot regressed almost completely.
-Jen Mahan
*****************************************************************
OHIO
Don't recommend Dr. Martin Torch with
Columbus Children's Hospital in Ohio. Does not
follow Ponseti Method 100%, uses fiberglass casts
instead of plaster, getting ready to retire so the
need to be fully trained is not eminent. Actually, I
would not recommend anyone from Columbus
Children's because I feel that they are not fully
trained in the Ponseti method and the pediatric
orthopaedics at Cleveland Clinic is way more
specialized in clubfeet.
Bethany
Son born with BCF 11/22/06
Also, please make a point on your website to have
parents research for their own doctor instead of
having the hospital where the baby is delivered
refer you to one. We went with who they referred us
to and had I'd done my own research I wouldn't
have had to go through 5 months of inadequate
treatment for my son.
*****************************************************************
We are with Dr. Klingele at Columbus Children's
Hospital. He supposedly uses the Ponseti method
but he seems to diverge from it in a few areas.
*****************************************************************
TEXAS
I don't recommend Fondren Group, Dr Howard
Epps at Texas Orthopedic Hospital. After
months of un-successful casting my daughter's feet
became atypical and he was headed for surgery.
We are now consulting with Dr. Lund and going to
Iowa to see Dr. Ponseti. Using the wrong doctor has
cost us a lot of time and money, plus cost my baby a
lot of suffering that was not necessary.
Christie
****************************************************************
Fort Smith, Arkansas
I used Dr. James Buie in Ft. Smith, Arkansas to
treat my son's bilateral clubfoot. I do not
recommend anyone take their child to him for
clubfoot treatment. He was very nice, but he is not
skilled in treating this birth defect.
Shawnee
****************************************************************
RED FLAG, RED FLAG!!!
Dr. Hanway at Children's Hospital Outpatient in
Fairfax, VA. was Sarah's first doctor! Her feet were
never fully corrected. She went into the Markells
and screamed for days. Also, her feet kept slipping
out of the shoes and Dr. Hanway recommended
us to take her socks off. Sarah had blisters the
size of quarters!! It was awful.
Then we used the AFO's after that. What a
nightmare! Thanks to this lovely board, I switched to
Dr. Herzenberg in Baltimore. Sarah started
treatment over from the beginning with casting. At
that point, she was 5 months old. It has been
smooth sailing ever since. Sarah is now 3 1/2.
I just want to caution you about Dr. Hanway. He
said he was trained by Dr. Ponseti himself. I
emailed Dr. P and he had no record of Dr.
Hanway ever attending any of his training
seminars.
One more thing. When I used to live in Northern
Virginia, I started a clubfoot support group with
(another mother). Her daughter was also treated by
Dr. Hanway, and she switched to Dr. Herzenberg as
well. Anyway, when we started the support group,
several families were seeing Dr. Hanway at the time,
all of which were very unhappy. They all switched to
Dr. Herzenberg.
HANWAY is in Northern Virginia outside Washington
DC. He practices at Commonwealth Orthopaedics &
Rehabilitation, which I believe is affiliated with
Fairfax Hospital.
Susan S.
****************************************************************
The doctor that Natalie got all her care from was Dr.
McHale in Annandale, VA. Natalie has gone
through at least 10 castings.
The doctor told me she was ready for the surgery
but it took 3 weeks for us to get a tenotomy
done. Then she was casted for 3 weeks but it
wasn't at a 70 degree angle.
Her "final" cast came off Aug. 8th and they had no
FAB (foot abduction brace) for her so they
recasted. Two weeks later still no FAB (and still
no FAB as far as I know) for her.
When I called to see what was going on the whole
staff was rude and would not let me talk to the
doctor. Now it is Sept. 5th (almost a full month later!)
and still no call from them. They don't know I have
gone to a different doctor.
While Natalie was waiting on a FAB she had a cast
on for almost 2 weeks and it was getting tight. The
receptionist staff said it would be fine until the
FAB came in. Well that was a month ago, do they
think a cast can stay on a 3 month old at the time
for over a month??? Newborns grow awfully fast.
I have an appt. with Dr. Herzenberg so hopefully my
nightmare will FINALLY come to an end.
Jeanna
From Jen in Jacksonville, Florida:
Dr. Leah Pike, Nemours Childrens Clinic,
Jacksonville, FL: Says she was
trained by Dr. Ponseti, but immediately suggested
joint capsulotomy. Also, Dr. Ponseti has never
heard of her. Put daughter's last cast at 92 degrees
- degree was measured at ER where the cast was
taken off due to intolerance.
Another Parent Report about Dr. Pike:
We are in Jacksonville... If you are referring to Leah
Pike, then I would say no matter whether she was
recently in Iowa or not, I would never trust my
child to her care again. She made us run, not
walk to
Iowa for all of my daughter's future care, including
all check-ups.
Dr. John Mazur, Nemours Children's Clinic,
Jacksonville, FL: Seems well versed in Ponseti
Method. However, does not do his own casting, but
instead has casting techs do it, then he comes in to
look at casts after the fact. Put daughter in
reverse-last Markells before feet were fully
corrected, said that she and I would have to 'suck it
up' for the next 5 years-the fact that she screamed
for two months in the shoes. Was not open to
straight-last model, or even the Markells with the
hole cut out in the heel.
Dr. Jay Cummings, Nemours Children's Clinic,
Jacksonville, FL: Head of Orthopaedics for
Nemours, Jacksonville. Seems to know some of
Ponseti Method. However, released a local boy from
bracing at a little over a year old. Said it was not
necessary once the child was weight-bearing and
walking. Now, Dr. Cummings will be performing
ATTT on this now 4 year old boy due to relapse.
Was invited to go to Iowa for training by Drs. Ponseti
and Morcuende, and accepted invitation. (Joyce
Roller excitedly emailed me with this info) However,
it has been two years, and Cummings has told me
that they 'Just don't have the time..."
Jenn
***************************************************************
Tampa Florida
I have heard from another mother who had a very
negative experience with the other doc, Dr.Grogan,
and ended up taking her child to Dr. Ponseti. She
said Dr. Grogan had a terrible bedside manner and
was very quick to give up when her child's treatment
was not successful and recommended surgery
which Dr. Ponseti's expert hands were able to avoid.
Another report:
The two doctors at Tampa Shriner's have very
different approaches and from what I have heard
about Dr. Grogan, it does not sound like he adheres
to the Ponseti protocol.
****************************************************************
Gainesville Florida
To date there is not a Ponseti Method doctor
practicing in Gainesville. There are two doctors -
Dr. Woo and Dr. Angeles who claim to use the
method at Shands, however I have had one
unfavorable report about Dr. Angeles and Dr.
Ponseti specifically will not recommend Dr.
Woo although Dr. Woo did train with Ponseti many
years ago. Dr. Woo has modified the method and is
not the "Ponseti Method" doctor he claims to be.
Because Woo trained Angeles, we should assume
that Dr. Angeles should not be trusted either.
******************************************************************
NORTH CAROLINA
Dr Wattenbarger in Charlotte, NC.
Dr. Walter Greene (last paragraph)
My reasons for not recommending him are:
Poor bedside manner (abrupt, seems annoyed by
questions).
Did not provide very much information about club
foot.
Claimed to use the Ponseti method, but I found
many instances where he deviated from protocol.
I believe he put my son in Denis Browne Bar shoes
before he was fully corrected.
He has parents soak off casts the day before the
appointment. My son lost correction markedly
between cast removal and the appointment. I don't
think the doctor believed me, even though I had
pictures of it.
He did a heel cord lengthening with absolutely no
pain management at all.
We had to see other doctors, often with no notice,
when he was not available. Several times he would
tell us to come back the next week and not have any
time available for an appointment.
He kept our son in casts at least seven days, had
our son stay in a cast (not after a TAL [(tenotomy],
but while still correcting) for over two weeks while he
went out of the country.
Would not consider any other options besides the
Denis Browne Bar shoes even though my son could
get out of them and hated them (found out later that
it was probably because he was not corrected yet).
Anyway, I could go on and on, but you get my drift!
We also had a bad experience with another doctor,
who stopped practicing while treating our son, his
name was Dr. Walter Greene. He had us do an
AFO and my son's foot regressed almost completely.
-Jen Mahan
*****************************************************************
OHIO
Don't recommend Dr. Martin Torch with
Columbus Children's Hospital in Ohio. Does not
follow Ponseti Method 100%, uses fiberglass casts
instead of plaster, getting ready to retire so the
need to be fully trained is not eminent. Actually, I
would not recommend anyone from Columbus
Children's because I feel that they are not fully
trained in the Ponseti method and the pediatric
orthopaedics at Cleveland Clinic is way more
specialized in clubfeet.
Bethany
Son born with BCF 11/22/06
Also, please make a point on your website to have
parents research for their own doctor instead of
having the hospital where the baby is delivered
refer you to one. We went with who they referred us
to and had I'd done my own research I wouldn't
have had to go through 5 months of inadequate
treatment for my son.
*****************************************************************
We are with Dr. Klingele at Columbus Children's
Hospital. He supposedly uses the Ponseti method
but he seems to diverge from it in a few areas.
*****************************************************************
TEXAS
I don't recommend Fondren Group, Dr Howard
Epps at Texas Orthopedic Hospital. After
months of un-successful casting my daughter's feet
became atypical and he was headed for surgery.
We are now consulting with Dr. Lund and going to
Iowa to see Dr. Ponseti. Using the wrong doctor has
cost us a lot of time and money, plus cost my baby a
lot of suffering that was not necessary.
Christie
****************************************************************
Fort Smith, Arkansas
I used Dr. James Buie in Ft. Smith, Arkansas to
treat my son's bilateral clubfoot. I do not
recommend anyone take their child to him for
clubfoot treatment. He was very nice, but he is not
skilled in treating this birth defect.
Shawnee
****************************************************************
RED FLAG, RED FLAG!!!
Dr. Hanway at Children's Hospital Outpatient in
Fairfax, VA. was Sarah's first doctor! Her feet were
never fully corrected. She went into the Markells
and screamed for days. Also, her feet kept slipping
out of the shoes and Dr. Hanway recommended
us to take her socks off. Sarah had blisters the
size of quarters!! It was awful.
Then we used the AFO's after that. What a
nightmare! Thanks to this lovely board, I switched to
Dr. Herzenberg in Baltimore. Sarah started
treatment over from the beginning with casting. At
that point, she was 5 months old. It has been
smooth sailing ever since. Sarah is now 3 1/2.
I just want to caution you about Dr. Hanway. He
said he was trained by Dr. Ponseti himself. I
emailed Dr. P and he had no record of Dr.
Hanway ever attending any of his training
seminars.
One more thing. When I used to live in Northern
Virginia, I started a clubfoot support group with
(another mother). Her daughter was also treated by
Dr. Hanway, and she switched to Dr. Herzenberg as
well. Anyway, when we started the support group,
several families were seeing Dr. Hanway at the time,
all of which were very unhappy. They all switched to
Dr. Herzenberg.
HANWAY is in Northern Virginia outside Washington
DC. He practices at Commonwealth Orthopaedics &
Rehabilitation, which I believe is affiliated with
Fairfax Hospital.
Susan S.
****************************************************************
The doctor that Natalie got all her care from was Dr.
McHale in Annandale, VA. Natalie has gone
through at least 10 castings.
The doctor told me she was ready for the surgery
but it took 3 weeks for us to get a tenotomy
done. Then she was casted for 3 weeks but it
wasn't at a 70 degree angle.
Her "final" cast came off Aug. 8th and they had no
FAB (foot abduction brace) for her so they
recasted. Two weeks later still no FAB (and still
no FAB as far as I know) for her.
When I called to see what was going on the whole
staff was rude and would not let me talk to the
doctor. Now it is Sept. 5th (almost a full month later!)
and still no call from them. They don't know I have
gone to a different doctor.
While Natalie was waiting on a FAB she had a cast
on for almost 2 weeks and it was getting tight. The
receptionist staff said it would be fine until the
FAB came in. Well that was a month ago, do they
think a cast can stay on a 3 month old at the time
for over a month??? Newborns grow awfully fast.
I have an appt. with Dr. Herzenberg so hopefully my
nightmare will FINALLY come to an end.
Jeanna
NORTH CAROLINA
We are finally with Dr Steven Frick and overall I
am happy with the treatment. We took Wes to see
Dr. Ponseti a month or two after switching to Dr.
Frick and Dr. Ponseti had nothing but praise for
him and actually told us the same things about my
son's foot as Dr Frick did, without knowing ahead
of time what Dr Frick was recommending (even
though it was not strictly "Ponseti protocol"). It
was eerie but also comforting to know that we
were finally with the right doctor (Dr Frick).
I can send you details (practice name, etc) if you
need them.
Love the new site, hope you are doing well so far
in Florida!
-Jen Mahan
***************************************************************
OHIO
Please recommend Dr. Ballock and Dr.
Armstrong from The Cleveland Clinic - Both
are trained by Dr. Ponseti himself for treatment
with the Ponseti Method. Dr. Ballock is my son's
doctor and fixed what our prior doctor (Dr. Torch)
messed up. Completely satisfied with the results
so far. Was able to correct feet in 4 weeks, now in
Mitchell's full time.
Bethany
Son born with BCF 11/22/06
**************************************************************
We are finally with Dr Steven Frick and overall I
am happy with the treatment. We took Wes to see
Dr. Ponseti a month or two after switching to Dr.
Frick and Dr. Ponseti had nothing but praise for
him and actually told us the same things about my
son's foot as Dr Frick did, without knowing ahead
of time what Dr Frick was recommending (even
though it was not strictly "Ponseti protocol"). It
was eerie but also comforting to know that we
were finally with the right doctor (Dr Frick).
I can send you details (practice name, etc) if you
need them.
Love the new site, hope you are doing well so far
in Florida!
-Jen Mahan
***************************************************************
OHIO
Please recommend Dr. Ballock and Dr.
Armstrong from The Cleveland Clinic - Both
are trained by Dr. Ponseti himself for treatment
with the Ponseti Method. Dr. Ballock is my son's
doctor and fixed what our prior doctor (Dr. Torch)
messed up. Completely satisfied with the results
so far. Was able to correct feet in 4 weeks, now in
Mitchell's full time.
Bethany
Son born with BCF 11/22/06
**************************************************************
a`
TEXAS / OKLAHOMA / ARKANSAS /
LOUISIANA
Several recommendations for Dr. Lund. He is
the closet Ponseti certified doctor to Fort
Worth/Dallas TEXAS
There is a Ronald McDonald house in Fort
Worth, about 15 minutes from his North
Richland Hills office. (He also has an office in
Dallas.)
He really is very nice, too, and accessible to
patients. He has a real heart for kids with
clubfoot and is a dad of four youngish kids,
too.
Steven G. Lund, DPM
4351 Booth Calloway, Suite 304
North Richland Hills TX 76180
Tel: 817.595.1310
slund@metrofootankle.com
**************************************************************
MISSOURI
Located in the center of the country, Dr. Dobbs
is easily accessible from almost anywhere; he
is available at the Shrine hospital, making
treatment free.
Dr. Dobbs is a highly skilled Ponseti-qualified
doctor who has worked with Dr. Ponseti a great
deal.
Dr. Dobbs Website
*************************************************************
FLORIDA
Orlando:
I want to suggest a physician named Jay
Albright who works in Orlando at the Arnold
Palmer Hospital.
This poor man got stuck sitting next to me at a
Japanese Steakhouse last month. He leaned
over to his wife and mentioned that he was
headed back up to Iowa to spend some time with
Dr. Ponseti and I don't think he was able to eat
the rest his meal, I asked him so many questions.
He seems like a physician that follows Dr.
Ponseti's protocol to a "T". He is very
personable (even after my interrogation:) and
apparently trained in Iowa City with Dr. Ponseti.
He hasn't lived in Orlando very long so I don't
think many people know of him yet but definitely
someone worth considering!! Yea!
I've visited 2 ortho's in Jacksonville and
neither had a good understanding of Ponseti
casting so I'm thrilled to have met Dr. Albright in
hopes that he'll bring to Florida what so many
other states have (good Ponseti care!).
Amy
************************************************************
There IS a Ponseti Doctor in Orlando, Dr.
Price. He is on Ponseti's list.
Dr. Albright worked with Dr. Ponseti for several
years in Iowa. There is also Dr. Herrera-Soto
who went through the training with Dr. Ponseti
and uses the method, but hasn't done the
application to get on the list.
Dr. Herrera-Soto is the doctor who treated my
daughter. They are all in the same practice
(along with other dr.s who may or may not treat
cf, but I can't vouch for their methods). They are
right around the corner from Arnold Palmer
Hospital just south of downtown.
Marcia
****************************************************
Tampa:
Our son is seen at Tampa Shriner's and both
doctors there are on the Ponseti approved list.
(His foot was corrected by Dr. Ponseti and is
seen at Shriner's and for follow up.)
We have only seen Dr. Cara Novick and we
love her. Although she did not correct our son's
feet, we have spoke at great length about her
methods and she strictly adheres to Ponseti
protocol.
I have heard from another mother who had a
very negative experience with the other doc, Dr.
Grogan, and ended up taking her child to Dr.
Ponseti. She said he had a terrible bedside
manner and was very quick to give up when her
child's treatment was not successful and
recommended surgery which Dr. Ponseti's expert
hands were able to avoid.
I guess my advice would be to go to the
appointment but only let Dr. Novick treat your
child or consider going to Iowa for correction
and Tampa for follow up. I hope this helps!
Ann
************************************************************
MAINE
I wanted to let everyone here know that
Shriner's in Springfield, MA is wonderful. Dr.
Mack follows Dr. Ponseti's procedure exactly
and is in frequent contact with Dr. Ponseti. I think
he even went to Iowa recently for more training.
My son was 10 months old when he started
being treated by Dr. Mack. It took only 6 casts
and a tenotomy to correct my son's feet. We had
been seeing a non-Ponseti doctor and after
6 months of treatment his feet were still not
corrected. They were recommending major
surgery when I found this group.
Dr. Ponseti recommended Dr. Mack and we just
love him. I would highly recommend him after he
corrected my son's bilateral clubfeet. Just in case
someone else is considering Shriner's I would
definitely recommend Dr. Mack. He's very good
and the services there are excellent and free.
Karen and Jesse bilateral cf dbb 12/7
************************************************************
MARYLAND
Dr. John Herzenberg is head of pediatric
orthopedics at Sinai Hospital of Baltimore where
every Friday is Clubfoot Clinic and where almost
every child is treated with a non-surgical
technique called the Ponseti Method.
NEW YORK
Dr. Godfried is an EXCELLENT doctor. My
husband and I feel completely confident in our
choice to use him. He never rushes me out of his
office and really takes all the time in the world to
explain the situation.
Michelle
Long Island, NY
**************************************************************
ARIZONA
The only physician I am aware of in Arizona who
is successfully using my technique is Kent
Vincent in Tucson.
Before a physician's name is added to my list of
qualified physicians I ask that he send me photos
and other information on three babies he has
treated so I can evaluate his casting technique
and results. No one else has done so.
It is important to remember that if your baby is
otherwise normal, the clubfoot deformity can be
corrected with about 5 or 6 casts extending from
the toes to the groin. The casts should be
changed every 4-7 days. Before the last cast is
applied it is usually necessary to do a
percutaneous tendo Achilles tenotomy under
local anesthesia. The last cast remains in place 2
1/2 to 3 weeks.
As soon as it is removed, the baby is placed in a
brace consisting of special shoes attached to
the ends of a metal bar. The brace s worn 23
hours a day for three months. Time in the brace
is gradually reduced until it is worn only at night
and nap time until the child is about 4 years of
age to prevent a relapse. We prefer the Mitchell
brace which uses three strap sandals on a
molded plastic footplate attached to the bar.
The sandals are comfortable yet hold the feet
securely.
On the web site www.global-help. org you can
click on Publications and download a copy of
Clubfoot: Ponseti Management, which is very
informative.
At the web site http://members. tripod.com/
ponseti_links- ivil/id13. html is
a list of questions you can ask a physician to
help you determine how experienced he is in
treating clubfoot.
I.V. Ponseti, M.D.
*************************************************************
CALIFORNIA
I highly recommend Dr. Colburn of Walnut
Creek & Pleasanton. He was personally
recommended to me by Ponseti and is the only
northern California Ponseti-certified doctor other
than a Shriner doc in Sacramento (at least that
was the case 2 years ago... maybe there are
more by now?).
Dr. Colburn has been treating my son for two
years with fantastic results and he's incredibly
passionate, personable, and follows Ponseti to a
T. He's a Kaiser doctor but treats clubfoot
patients out of network (downside is that you
may have to pay a fair amount out of pocket
depending on your insurance).
Dr. Michael Colburn
Chief of Podiatry
Kaiser Permanente System
Kaiser Diablo Service Area: Walnut Creek &
Pleasanton
(925) 847-530
Nicki D.
LOUISIANA
Several recommendations for Dr. Lund. He is
the closet Ponseti certified doctor to Fort
Worth/Dallas TEXAS
There is a Ronald McDonald house in Fort
Worth, about 15 minutes from his North
Richland Hills office. (He also has an office in
Dallas.)
He really is very nice, too, and accessible to
patients. He has a real heart for kids with
clubfoot and is a dad of four youngish kids,
too.
Steven G. Lund, DPM
4351 Booth Calloway, Suite 304
North Richland Hills TX 76180
Tel: 817.595.1310
slund@metrofootankle.com
**************************************************************
MISSOURI
Located in the center of the country, Dr. Dobbs
is easily accessible from almost anywhere; he
is available at the Shrine hospital, making
treatment free.
Dr. Dobbs is a highly skilled Ponseti-qualified
doctor who has worked with Dr. Ponseti a great
deal.
Dr. Dobbs Website
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FLORIDA
Orlando:
I want to suggest a physician named Jay
Albright who works in Orlando at the Arnold
Palmer Hospital.
This poor man got stuck sitting next to me at a
Japanese Steakhouse last month. He leaned
over to his wife and mentioned that he was
headed back up to Iowa to spend some time with
Dr. Ponseti and I don't think he was able to eat
the rest his meal, I asked him so many questions.
He seems like a physician that follows Dr.
Ponseti's protocol to a "T". He is very
personable (even after my interrogation:) and
apparently trained in Iowa City with Dr. Ponseti.
He hasn't lived in Orlando very long so I don't
think many people know of him yet but definitely
someone worth considering!! Yea!
I've visited 2 ortho's in Jacksonville and
neither had a good understanding of Ponseti
casting so I'm thrilled to have met Dr. Albright in
hopes that he'll bring to Florida what so many
other states have (good Ponseti care!).
Amy
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There IS a Ponseti Doctor in Orlando, Dr.
Price. He is on Ponseti's list.
Dr. Albright worked with Dr. Ponseti for several
years in Iowa. There is also Dr. Herrera-Soto
who went through the training with Dr. Ponseti
and uses the method, but hasn't done the
application to get on the list.
Dr. Herrera-Soto is the doctor who treated my
daughter. They are all in the same practice
(along with other dr.s who may or may not treat
cf, but I can't vouch for their methods). They are
right around the corner from Arnold Palmer
Hospital just south of downtown.
Marcia
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Tampa:
Our son is seen at Tampa Shriner's and both
doctors there are on the Ponseti approved list.
(His foot was corrected by Dr. Ponseti and is
seen at Shriner's and for follow up.)
We have only seen Dr. Cara Novick and we
love her. Although she did not correct our son's
feet, we have spoke at great length about her
methods and she strictly adheres to Ponseti
protocol.
I have heard from another mother who had a
very negative experience with the other doc, Dr.
Grogan, and ended up taking her child to Dr.
Ponseti. She said he had a terrible bedside
manner and was very quick to give up when her
child's treatment was not successful and
recommended surgery which Dr. Ponseti's expert
hands were able to avoid.
I guess my advice would be to go to the
appointment but only let Dr. Novick treat your
child or consider going to Iowa for correction
and Tampa for follow up. I hope this helps!
Ann
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MAINE
I wanted to let everyone here know that
Shriner's in Springfield, MA is wonderful. Dr.
Mack follows Dr. Ponseti's procedure exactly
and is in frequent contact with Dr. Ponseti. I think
he even went to Iowa recently for more training.
My son was 10 months old when he started
being treated by Dr. Mack. It took only 6 casts
and a tenotomy to correct my son's feet. We had
been seeing a non-Ponseti doctor and after
6 months of treatment his feet were still not
corrected. They were recommending major
surgery when I found this group.
Dr. Ponseti recommended Dr. Mack and we just
love him. I would highly recommend him after he
corrected my son's bilateral clubfeet. Just in case
someone else is considering Shriner's I would
definitely recommend Dr. Mack. He's very good
and the services there are excellent and free.
- Phillip W. Mack, MD
Shriner's Hospital for Children
516 Carew Street
Springfield, MA 01104
Tel: 413.787.2000
Karen and Jesse bilateral cf dbb 12/7
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MARYLAND
Dr. John Herzenberg is head of pediatric
orthopedics at Sinai Hospital of Baltimore where
every Friday is Clubfoot Clinic and where almost
every child is treated with a non-surgical
technique called the Ponseti Method.
- John E. Herzenberg, MD, FRCSC
Sinai Hospital
Baltimore, MD
Tel: 410.601.8700
FRCSC@aol.com
NEW YORK
Dr. Godfried is an EXCELLENT doctor. My
husband and I feel completely confident in our
choice to use him. He never rushes me out of his
office and really takes all the time in the world to
explain the situation.
Michelle
Long Island, NY
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ARIZONA
The only physician I am aware of in Arizona who
is successfully using my technique is Kent
Vincent in Tucson.
Before a physician's name is added to my list of
qualified physicians I ask that he send me photos
and other information on three babies he has
treated so I can evaluate his casting technique
and results. No one else has done so.
It is important to remember that if your baby is
otherwise normal, the clubfoot deformity can be
corrected with about 5 or 6 casts extending from
the toes to the groin. The casts should be
changed every 4-7 days. Before the last cast is
applied it is usually necessary to do a
percutaneous tendo Achilles tenotomy under
local anesthesia. The last cast remains in place 2
1/2 to 3 weeks.
As soon as it is removed, the baby is placed in a
brace consisting of special shoes attached to
the ends of a metal bar. The brace s worn 23
hours a day for three months. Time in the brace
is gradually reduced until it is worn only at night
and nap time until the child is about 4 years of
age to prevent a relapse. We prefer the Mitchell
brace which uses three strap sandals on a
molded plastic footplate attached to the bar.
The sandals are comfortable yet hold the feet
securely.
On the web site www.global-help. org you can
click on Publications and download a copy of
Clubfoot: Ponseti Management, which is very
informative.
At the web site http://members. tripod.com/
ponseti_links- ivil/id13. html is
a list of questions you can ask a physician to
help you determine how experienced he is in
treating clubfoot.
I.V. Ponseti, M.D.
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CALIFORNIA
I highly recommend Dr. Colburn of Walnut
Creek & Pleasanton. He was personally
recommended to me by Ponseti and is the only
northern California Ponseti-certified doctor other
than a Shriner doc in Sacramento (at least that
was the case 2 years ago... maybe there are
more by now?).
Dr. Colburn has been treating my son for two
years with fantastic results and he's incredibly
passionate, personable, and follows Ponseti to a
T. He's a Kaiser doctor but treats clubfoot
patients out of network (downside is that you
may have to pay a fair amount out of pocket
depending on your insurance).
Dr. Michael Colburn
Chief of Podiatry
Kaiser Permanente System
Kaiser Diablo Service Area: Walnut Creek &
Pleasanton
(925) 847-530
Nicki D.