Treatment Methods
The Ponseti Method, developed and coined by Dr. Igancio Ponseti in the 1950s, has been the most effective form of clubfoot treatment for decades. Dr. Ponseti, born in Spain in 1914, took up an interest in medicine from an early age. At just 16, he began attending the University of Barcelona where he earned a degree in biology as well as an MD. When the Spanish Civil War halted his career as a doctor in 1936, he continued to practice medicine, serving as a medic, treating hundreds of orthopedic wounds. After the war, Dr. Ponseti came to the University of Iowa to finish his residency and later become a member of the orthopedic medicine branch. While there, he focused specifically on clubfoot, and how adults with childhood clubfoot were being affected by the condition. He found that many of these former clubfoot patients often experienced foot stiffness, pain, arthritis, and limited mobility, and sometimes even required additional surgeries. Dr. Ponseti concluded that the issues adults with clubfoot were facing ultimately boiled down to one issue: the treatment they received as children.
He found that the invasive nature of the childhood treatment was causing all of these problems later in life. As a result, after further studying the anatomy and function of a baby's foot, Dr. Ponseti developed a non-surgical method to treat clubfoot. Now known as the Ponseti Method, this form of treatment requires a series of castings to slowly and subtly reposition a baby’s foot back to normal. Since its inception, the Ponseti Method has proved to be highly effective, and has almost entirely gotten rid of struggles later in life for clubfoot patients. However, this is not to say that the method is perfect–not all Ponseti Method treatments are perfectly successful, and, although rare, issues can arise. But, on the whole, it is a huge step up from past forms of treatment.
The Ponseti Method not only prevents future pain for patients, it is also far more accessible for patients around the world. As of 2014, 113 countries around the world were reported to have been using the Ponseti Method to treat clubfoot. Other forms of treatment that require more invasive surgeries are much more difficult to administer in low-resource settings. This is because these types of surgeries require medical professionals, technical equipment, and other surgical resources that some places globally simply do not have access to. This would leave many patients going untreated and having to deal with the effects of clubfoot for the rest of their lives, which only worsen as the patient gets older.
The Ponseti Method, however, which is only a few simple castings, requires far less professional experience. The method can easily be picked up by local community leaders, medical students, or anyone willing to help provide treatment to clubfoot patients. Additionally, because of its simplicity, the Ponseti Method is a far less expensive, and thereby far more accessible form of treatment. Its simplicity and affordability make it an invaluable tool in treating clubfoot, improving countless lives around the world every year.
Considering all expenses, including materials for casts, braces, and any necessary procedures, just $500 is needed to fully treat clubfoot in a single patient. Compared to other treatable conditions, this number is incredibly low, showing the simplicity, yet effectiveness of the Ponseti Method. In spite of this, there are still just under 100 countries that are not using the Ponseti Method to treat clubfoot because they lack the resources to do so. As a result, members of these nations suffering from clubfoot are not receiving adequate treatment, and thus are forced to live with the condition for extended periods of time.
In the next blog post, we will be discussing the reasons why these places do not have the resources to access treatment through the Ponseti Method, and organizations trying to make a difference.
