- Myth: The most common mistake is saying “ The child has to be at least three to four years for any treatment so wait and don’t try any treatment at the neo-natal stage”. This is wrong. Fact: children born with clubfoot should start treatment soon after the birth, preferably within the first three months. The point is that the child’s deformed foot should be corrected before the child starts walking.
- Myth: Next, “Surgery is the ultimate treatment for any disability related to bone and not simple ‘non-surgical’ method, so opt for surgery even if it is expensive”. People have this misunderstanding that anything related to disability has to undergo surgery and it has to be expensive, a major surgery which might prove fatal. So out of fear of expense and complications in surgery, many parents ignore /neglect clubfoot in their child. Fact: The Ponseti Method is globally accepted as the Gold Standard for treating children born with clubfoot.
- Myth: “The more we pay the better treatment we get. So go for more expensive options among the available treatment for clubfoot”. Fact: The non-surgical Ponseti method is available free of cost in public hospitals whereas in some hospitals treatment for clubfoot is very expensive and comes with assurance of instant correction through surgery. There is a misunderstanding that the more we pay the faster and better is the correction. This is wrong; in fact surgery disrupts joints, spoils the foot and many children suffer pain and stiffness and relapse after very expensive surgery. (refer FAQ session to know why surgery for clubfoot is not good scientifically)
- Myth: “The disability in the child is caused by something the mother did while she was pregnant. So the mother is the reason for a child with deformity”. Fact: The reason for clubfoot is unknown till today so no one should be blamed. The mother cannot be blamed if the child has clubfoot. Some belief is that the mother would have done something that she is not supposed to be doing on a new moon day etc.
In India, one reason to put all the blame on mothers is to ensure that the parents of the mother pay for all treatment-related expenses. When the time comes for delivery, the wife must go to her mother’s home. The expenses involved in hospitalisation for delivery are referred to as the burden of ‘second dowry’. When a child is born with clubfoot, the mother’s parents have to find money for the third dowry, and the expenses involved in the treatment for clubfoot. On many occasions, the husband’s family insists that their grandchild has an expensive and quick remedy.
- Myth: “Clubfoot being a congenital deformity (by birth) should not be treated, because God has given this situation in life if altered, we are inviting divine anger”. Fact: This is common in rural areas but awareness of inexpensive and successful treatment is changing this misunderstanding among several communities. People have started thanking God for the best treatment received by their children.
- Myth: “After plaster casting, treatment is complete and no need to wear special shoes (foot abduction braces) because the foot now looks normal”. Fact: It is important that the corrected foot has to be retained in the foot abduction brace.
- Myth: “If there is any relapse after a successful Ponseti method correction, the only way to correct the foot is through surgery”. Fact: The Ponseti method can very well correct a relapsed foot. In fact correcting a relapsed foot is easy and, only requires a couple of casts to bring the foot back to a normal position. It is very important that the relapse is identified and treated on time.
- Myth: “Any brace available locally is good enough for maintaining correction”. Many parents are asked to buy a Dennis Brown splint for their child with clubfoot. The function of the Dennis Brown splint is different from foot abduction braces available for clubfoot. The Dennis Brown splint has an external rotation of 15 degrees whereas in the correction of clubfoot, the foot has to be kept in a 70-degree external rotation (abducted position). Fact: A specially designed brace like the Steenbeek foot abduction brace or other similar specially designed brace with 70 external rotations must be used to maintain the correction achieved by the Ponseti method.
- Myth: “The child has been born with polio so there is no treatment available. It is impossible to correct this deformity”. Parents misunderstand clubfoot for polio. Fact: Polio is a virus that affects children after birth whereas clubfoot is a birth deformity that cannot be prevented but can be completely treated.
- Myth: “Girl children with clubfoot deformity should be terminated or aborted”. The misunderstanding is that if she is allowed to be born she will be a burden for the family. In the Indian context, girl children are considered a burden because of dowry and with disability in a girl child people decide to better terminate the female foeticide than allow her to suffer. So termination of pregnancy for a female foetus with clubfoot is justified. Fact: Every child has the right to be born and get the right method of treatment.
- Myth: “Let the clubfoot deformity remain at least partially so that the child will get a job in the reserved category of person living with deformity”. Intentionally permitting the disability to remain in children is not at all good and advisable. Fact: Justice to the child is to get the foot completely corrected and made normal at an early age. It’s the right of every child to get the foot corrected completely.
