Using the Ponseti Method, your child has a 95% - 100%
chance of being fully corrected without surgical intervention.  
This is a very non-invasive, short term, serial casting procedure
with results generally accomplished in an average of five weeks.


If you
  • need more information;
  • have questions;
  • have concerns about your child's current treatment;
  • are not satisfied with your child's current progress;
  • feel like you are alone in the world of clubfoot and do not
    know where to turn,

    please read the following information, visit the following web
    sites, and be invited to contact me

         Shawnee Reese -  Mother of Three Clubfooted Children



            "Parents  of infants born with clubfeet
    may be reassured that their baby, if
    otherwise normal, when treated by expert
    hands will have normal looking feet with
    normal function for all practical purposes.  

    The well treated clubfoot is no handicap
    and is fully compatible with normal, active
    life."
         
     Ignacio Ponseti, M.D.
            Department of
    Orthopaedic Surgery
            University of Iowa
    Hospitals and Clinics




    Tell Me More About the Ponseti Method:

    *        Dr. Ignacio Ponseti developed his non-surgical method
    of correcting this birth defect in the 1940's at the University of
    Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa.  Much like all great inventors, Dr.
    Ponseti was inspired to find a better way as his research
    continued to prove that the traditional methods of treating this
    birth defect were failing.

    Today, at age 92 (in 2006), he continues to conduct research
    as he works at the University of Iowa  clinics correcting this
    deformity and  training other doctors from around the globe.

      The Ponseti method of clubfoot correction
    has nearly 60 years of history behind it and
    numerous follow-up studies proving it's
    effectiveness.


Please take some time to read about the difference in serial
casting, on this site, and others.  Serial casting is the key to the
Ponseti Method's success.  NOT ALL SERIAL CASTING IS
CREATED EQUAL!  Find out why!  


    Although almost all forms of Clubfoot treatment begin with
    serial casting, most doctors do not have success with it even
    after months of repeated casting.

    The Ponseti Method differs from traditional casting methods
    in that Dr. Ponseti discovered that the baby's foot bones
    must be put back in place in a certain sequence.

    Failing to place the bones correctly is the reason most serial
    casting fails, and failure often involves deforming the foot
    worse than it was at birth, leading to attempts at surgical
    correction which may give immediate, temporary relief, but
    harbor painful and often crippling long-term complications.

    The clubfoot is not missing bones; nor are
    the bones deformed, although many
    doctors will tell you otherwise.  The bones
    are merely out of place.  Like a wonderful
    jigsaw puzzle, these bones must be put
    back in their proper location through a
    gentle process, A through Z to create the
    final picture. This is the Ponseti Method!   

    If any stage of correction is done too soon, or too late, the
    bones will not fall in to their natural order.  Bones that are not
    placed in their natural order cannot grow normally in to adult
    hood.  This is where other methods fail!

    To enjoy a pain free life on normal feet as an adult, the
    infant's bones must be put in to their natural order,
    sequentially, so they may grow normally!

If your child is currently being treated through a serial casting
procedure that is not achieving correction with in just a few weeks,
or if you are being pushed by your doctor to begin serial casting
with in a few days of your child's birth, take a moment to find out the
facts about the Ponseti Method and what makes it not only
different, but better!
    If your clubfooted child is currently
    wearing the Foot Abduction Brace (FAB),
    the Dennis Brown Bar (DBB) or any style
    of AFO in the course of their clubfoot
    treatment, learn more about  these critical
    devices to ensure proper use to achieve
    the long-term, permanent results, helping
    to avoid the risk of your child's feet
    relapsing to their original clubfooted
    condition, potentially leading to a crippling
    surgery.

Many non-Ponseti Method doctors will stop the use of a brace in
the first or second year of life, when the rate of relapse is still in the
50 to 80% range.  If your child objects to his foot abduction brace,
read here.

    If your child has undergone a lengthy casting treatment
    period (more than nine weeks), find out why.   Done properly,
    casting should average five weeks, with the normal range
    being 3 to 9 weeks.

    If your child's doctor is recommending any type of surgical
    correction, discover here how to avoid an irreversible
    and potentially dangerous operation now before it's
    too late!  Even Atypical / Complex clubfeet can be
    corrected non-surgically in almost every case.  

Even if your child does ultimately require surgery, understand that
not all clubfoot surgeries are the same - and most have serious
long-term repercussions!  Take heart and have hope though - read
Allison's story.

Also read about the ATTT surgery here.

If your previously corrected child is now relapsing back to a state of
clubfeet, learn what you can do now to avoid crippling life long
results and avoid surgery.  The Ponseti Method is often very
successful in correcting relapsed feet.

Stopping brace wear too soon is the main reason feet fail to stay
corrected.

Many doctors will tell a parent to stop using the brace
too soon, causing the foot to relapse in to the clubbed
state again - then doctors claim the Ponseti Method
doesn't work when it was really failure to use the brace
causing the problem.


* YOU DO HAVE A CHOICE IN THE TREATMENT
OPTIONS FOR YOUR CHILD although few doctors
seem to know this or bother telling a new parent about
these options.  

It is up to you, the parent, to research your options now,
before it is too late.  Remember, only you can give
your child the future of normal feet that he or she
deserves.


It is estimated that more than 100,000 babies a year
are born with clubfeet world wide.  You really are not
alone in this.  And treatment does not have to be lengthy
nor complicated.

    Please, come join us at Nosurgery4clubfoot@yahoogroups.
    com.  It's free.  Bring your questions, bring your worries,
    bring  your fears and frustrations and receive the friendship
    of others whose children are also affected by this birth defect
    as you learn the facts about this condition and what you, as a
    parent, can do.  

  • Know that if treated correctly, your baby will grow up to be a
    normal, functional adult on  two solid feet just like my three
    kids.  

  • Know you have options.  

  • Know that even if you have started treatment elsewhere, it's
    probably not too late to switch to the more effective Ponseti
    method.  

  • Know if your baby needs surgery, he/she probably doesn't.  
    Babies up to three years old, and older in some cases, still
    enjoy a non-surgical correction via the Ponseti Method.
    I.V. PONSETI, M.D.
    Department of Orthopaedic Surgery

    University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics
    200 Hawkins Drive,
    Iowa City, Iowa 52242
    319-356-3469

    Remember:  Once your child has surgery,
    you can not un-do that.     If you try the Ponseti
    Method and become dissatisfied with the results (you
    won't unless your doctor is a cheap imitation who
    doesn't really know or use the method), you can opt for
    surgery afterwards.  

    But if you have surgery first, it is doubtful the Ponseti
    Method can correct the feet as they have already been
    surgically altered.

    Surgically altered feet can not grow in
    to normal, healthy feet.  They logically grow in
    to surgically altered feet, with further pain and deformity
    in adulthood due to scar tissues and other issues.








  • Don't be bullied by a "highly recommended" doctor.   

  • Don't be bullied by any doctor's ego.  

  • Don't take anyone's word for it - not even mine! - find out for
    yourself, make your own decision based on your own facts
    and research.

     Your child cannot do this, only his
    parents can!  Make the right choices for
    your child, don't let other people or
    doctors make those choices for you.   

    A life time is a long time to live on sore
    feet, and sore feet will directly impact
    every other area of a person's quality of
    life.
The
Ponseti
Method.
This website is packed full of
photographs of my three sons
during and after their clubfoot
treatment, both with, and without,
the Ponseti Method of treatment.

If you are a new parent of a child
born with clubfoot, I understand
your worry.  "Will my child really be
normal or just kind of normal?"

I urge you to click around on this
site to view the photos, because a
picture really is worth a thousand
words.  I lay it all out on the table
here - clean house, messy house,
dirty child, spiffy child - The Good,
The Bad and The Ugly to
demonstrate that we are real
people, our stories are real stories,
our success with the Ponseti
Method is real success...and you
can have it too.

Your child has the opportunity to
enjoy a pain free natural life on
good, non-deformed feet if you
choose to use the Ponseti Method
of clubfoot correction.
Contact information
for Dr. Ponseti, other qualified
doctors, Air Care Alliance, the
Ronald McDonald House and
other important numbers are
here.
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Videos of Children
Treated With The
Ponseti Method Here!