Help-adopting a child with clubfoot

[Guest guest]

Hello everyone,

My husband and I are considering adopting a child with

bilateral clubfoot. He is older than 6 months and we don't

know much about his current treatment- the orphanage has him

in a plastic cast (AFO maybe) that is changed every two weeks.

Does anyone have any experience with adopting a child with

club foot and starting Ponsetti treatment later developmentally?

We have a Ponsetti method doctor in our area, but I would also

like to know what other alternatives are available.

Is Ponsetti method suitable for older baby starting treatment or

would surgery or another treatment method work better for a

child facing developmental milestones in casted feet?

All suggestions welcome- we are just trying to figure out what

all our options are and appreciate your help!

Angie Chostner

[Guest guest]

Hello everyone,

My husband and I are considering adopting a child with

bilateral clubfoot. He is older than 6 months and we don't

know much about his current treatment- the orphanage has him

in a plastic cast (AFO maybe) that is changed every two weeks.

Does anyone have any experience with adopting a child with

club foot and starting Ponsetti treatment later developmentally?

We have a Ponsetti method doctor in our area, but I would also

like to know what other alternatives are available.

Is Ponsetti method suitable for older baby starting treatment or

would surgery or another treatment method work better for a

child facing developmental milestones in casted feet?

All suggestions welcome- we are just trying to figure out what

all our options are and appreciate your help!

Angie Chostner

[Guest guest]

Angie-

Welcome to the group! The clufoot is still very treatable even after

6 months of age. Of course the quicker you start treatment the

better. It is also best to go with a Ponseti Certified doctor that

has treated older kids with the Ponseti Method and has been

successful. If able, I would take the baby straight to Dr. P

himself. He would be able to fix it correctly and quickly. What

doctor are you considering? The group may be able to tell you a

little about him or her. Congrats on the adoption of your little

boy!

> Hello everyone,

> My husband and I are considering adopting a child with

> bilateral clubfoot. He is older than 6 months and we don't

> know much about his current treatment- the orphanage has him

> in a plastic cast (AFO maybe) that is changed every two weeks.

>

> Does anyone have any experience with adopting a child with

> club foot and starting Ponsetti treatment later developmentally?

>

> We have a Ponsetti method doctor in our area, but I would also

> like to know what other alternatives are available.

>

> Is Ponsetti method suitable for older baby starting treatment or

> would surgery or another treatment method work better for a

> child facing developmental milestones in casted feet?

>

> All suggestions welcome- we are just trying to figure out what

> all our options are and appreciate your help!

>

> Angie Chostner

[Guest guest]

Angie-

Welcome to the group! The clufoot is still very treatable even after

6 months of age. Of course the quicker you start treatment the

better. It is also best to go with a Ponseti Certified doctor that

has treated older kids with the Ponseti Method and has been

successful. If able, I would take the baby straight to Dr. P

himself. He would be able to fix it correctly and quickly. What

doctor are you considering? The group may be able to tell you a

little about him or her. Congrats on the adoption of your little

boy!

> Hello everyone,

> My husband and I are considering adopting a child with

> bilateral clubfoot. He is older than 6 months and we don't

> know much about his current treatment- the orphanage has him

> in a plastic cast (AFO maybe) that is changed every two weeks.

>

> Does anyone have any experience with adopting a child with

> club foot and starting Ponsetti treatment later developmentally?

>

> We have a Ponsetti method doctor in our area, but I would also

> like to know what other alternatives are available.

>

> Is Ponsetti method suitable for older baby starting treatment or

> would surgery or another treatment method work better for a

> child facing developmental milestones in casted feet?

>

> All suggestions welcome- we are just trying to figure out what

> all our options are and appreciate your help!

>

> Angie Chostner

[Guest guest]

Angie,

Many of us here started with a Ponseti method doctor when our children were a

little " older " (meaning after 4 months, some after 12 months, some even

older)--in most cases, after failed treatment elsewhere. As long as there has

not been much by way of surgical intervention, the Ponseti method is very

effective for these children. There are reports out of other countries (India,

countries in Africa and South and Central America) of successful Ponseti

treatment of children up to age 5.

I know that dealing with the foot abduction brace (FAB, shoes attached to a bar)

is harder when you get a late start. However, it really does not slow them down

much; a child can crawl, pull to stand, even walk in the FAB. It becomes part

of your life and part of your child, really, it does. And the full-time wear

doesn't last forever: it lasts 3 months.

Most important would be to find an experienced Ponseti doctor to treat your

child. If you let us know where you are located, we can probably point you in

the right direction.

Here is a link to booklet about thePonseti method that is full of information,

including some on treating these " older " children.

http://www.global-help.org/publications/cf-enlish.pdf

Good luck in processing your decision. Please let me know if here is anything

else I can help you with.

Naomi

The Family

Naomi Hannah(02/21/01) Jonah(06/20/03, bilateral clubfoot, FAB 14/7)

tner wrote:

Hello everyone,

My husband and I are considering adopting a child with

bilateral clubfoot. He is older than 6 months and we don't

know much about his current treatment- the orphanage has him

in a plastic cast (AFO maybe) that is changed every two weeks.

Does anyone have any experience with adopting a child with

club foot and starting Ponsetti treatment later developmentally?

We have a Ponsetti method doctor in our area, but I would also

like to know what other alternatives are available.

Is Ponsetti method suitable for older baby starting treatment or

would surgery or another treatment method work better for a

child facing developmental milestones in casted feet?

All suggestions welcome- we are just trying to figure out what

all our options are and appreciate your help!

Angie Chostner

[Guest guest]

Angie,

Many of us here started with a Ponseti method doctor when our children were a

little " older " (meaning after 4 months, some after 12 months, some even

older)--in most cases, after failed treatment elsewhere. As long as there has

not been much by way of surgical intervention, the Ponseti method is very

effective for these children. There are reports out of other countries (India,

countries in Africa and South and Central America) of successful Ponseti

treatment of children up to age 5.

I know that dealing with the foot abduction brace (FAB, shoes attached to a bar)

is harder when you get a late start. However, it really does not slow them down

much; a child can crawl, pull to stand, even walk in the FAB. It becomes part

of your life and part of your child, really, it does. And the full-time wear

doesn't last forever: it lasts 3 months.

Most important would be to find an experienced Ponseti doctor to treat your

child. If you let us know where you are located, we can probably point you in

the right direction.

Here is a link to booklet about thePonseti method that is full of information,

including some on treating these " older " children.

http://www.global-help.org/publications/cf-enlish.pdf

Good luck in processing your decision. Please let me know if here is anything

else I can help you with.

Naomi

The Family

Naomi Hannah(02/21/01) Jonah(06/20/03, bilateral clubfoot, FAB 14/7)

tner wrote:

Hello everyone,

My husband and I are considering adopting a child with

bilateral clubfoot. He is older than 6 months and we don't

know much about his current treatment- the orphanage has him

in a plastic cast (AFO maybe) that is changed every two weeks.

Does anyone have any experience with adopting a child with

club foot and starting Ponsetti treatment later developmentally?

We have a Ponsetti method doctor in our area, but I would also

like to know what other alternatives are available.

Is Ponsetti method suitable for older baby starting treatment or

would surgery or another treatment method work better for a

child facing developmental milestones in casted feet?

All suggestions welcome- we are just trying to figure out what

all our options are and appreciate your help!

Angie Chostner

[Guest guest]

Hi Angie.

That is wonderful adopting a clubfoot baby! You can absolutely start the

Ponseti Method at 6 months. There are many on this site who started the

Ponseti method at an older age. However, it is important to find a truly

qualified Ponseti doctor especially in older babies. If you read more and

more about the Ponseti Method, you will learn that AFO's has not been

successful in treating clubfoot and the feet often relapse. If you let us

know where you are located, we can recommend a Ponseti doctor for you.

When will you be receiving this precious bundle of joy?

Shook

Retail Operations Manager/Baking Instructor

Vie de France Yamazaki, Inc.

2070 Chain Bridge Rd. Suite 500

Vienna, VA 22182

x374

x374

fax

[Guest guest]

Hi Angie.

That is wonderful adopting a clubfoot baby! You can absolutely start the

Ponseti Method at 6 months. There are many on this site who started the

Ponseti method at an older age. However, it is important to find a truly

qualified Ponseti doctor especially in older babies. If you read more and

more about the Ponseti Method, you will learn that AFO's has not been

successful in treating clubfoot and the feet often relapse. If you let us

know where you are located, we can recommend a Ponseti doctor for you.

When will you be receiving this precious bundle of joy?

Shook

Retail Operations Manager/Baking Instructor

Vie de France Yamazaki, Inc.

2070 Chain Bridge Rd. Suite 500

Vienna, VA 22182

x374

x374

fax

[Guest guest]

Congratulations on your new addition!!! My daughter

began Ponseti method treatment at 11 months old and

did extremely well. There is another Mom on here that

has a lot of experience in this area so hopefully she

will get to you soon as well. We wish you the best of

luck.

Jenni

--- achostner wrote:

> Hello everyone,

> My husband and I are considering adopting a child

> with

> bilateral clubfoot. He is older than 6 months and we

> don't

> know much about his current treatment- the orphanage

> has him

> in a plastic cast (AFO maybe) that is changed every

> two weeks.

>

> Does anyone have any experience with adopting a

> child with

> club foot and starting Ponsetti treatment later

> developmentally?

>

> We have a Ponsetti method doctor in our area, but I

> would also

> like to know what other alternatives are available.

>

> Is Ponsetti method suitable for older baby starting

> treatment or

> would surgery or another treatment method work

> better for a

> child facing developmental milestones in casted

> feet?

>

> All suggestions welcome- we are just trying to

> figure out what

> all our options are and appreciate your help!

>

> Angie Chostner

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

Jenni-

Mom to (10/31/01) and Kelsey (11/7/03)happy girl in DBB nights only for

left clubfoot.

__________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

Congratulations on your new addition!!! My daughter

began Ponseti method treatment at 11 months old and

did extremely well. There is another Mom on here that

has a lot of experience in this area so hopefully she

will get to you soon as well. We wish you the best of

luck.

Jenni

--- achostner wrote:

> Hello everyone,

> My husband and I are considering adopting a child

> with

> bilateral clubfoot. He is older than 6 months and we

> don't

> know much about his current treatment- the orphanage

> has him

> in a plastic cast (AFO maybe) that is changed every

> two weeks.

>

> Does anyone have any experience with adopting a

> child with

> club foot and starting Ponsetti treatment later

> developmentally?

>

> We have a Ponsetti method doctor in our area, but I

> would also

> like to know what other alternatives are available.

>

> Is Ponsetti method suitable for older baby starting

> treatment or

> would surgery or another treatment method work

> better for a

> child facing developmental milestones in casted

> feet?

>

> All suggestions welcome- we are just trying to

> figure out what

> all our options are and appreciate your help!

>

> Angie Chostner

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

Jenni-

Mom to (10/31/01) and Kelsey (11/7/03)happy girl in DBB nights only for

left clubfoot.

__________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

Angie,

I just wanted to add to what Naomi said; I urge you to use the

resources of this group to find a well experienced Ponseti doctor, I'm

including here the link to Dr. Ponseti's approved list.

http://www.vh.org/pediatric/patient/orthopaedics/clubfeet/physicians.html---

Everyone in this group will gladly give you their experiences with

doctors, just let us know what area you are in. Regardless of the age

of your child I would highly recommend the Ponseti method over any

surgical methods out there. In addition to having a son with

clubfoot, I was also born with it. Unfortunately at the time my

parents did not find out about the Ponseti method and I was treated

with multiple surgeries. I had 4 surgeries (last one when I was 7)

and did great until I was about 30. Now I have quite a bit of pain in

my clubfoot whenever I am on my feet or walking for longer periods of

time. I just can't say enough about how great the Ponseti method is

and I feel you would be making a serious mistake if you were to choose

the surgical route just because your son to be is a bit older.

Best wishes,

Jenna (4/7/01) & Sammy (9/25/04, RCF, Dobbs brace 16-18 hrs/day)

In nosurgery4clubfoot , Naomi <powellbugs@y...>

wrote:

> Angie,

>

> Many of us here started with a Ponseti method doctor when our

children were a little " older " (meaning after 4 months, some after 12

months, some even older)--in most cases, after failed treatment

elsewhere. As long as there has not been much by way of surgical

intervention, the Ponseti method is very effective for these children.

There are reports out of other countries (India, countries in Africa

and South and Central America) of successful Ponseti treatment of

children up to age 5.

>

> I know that dealing with the foot abduction brace (FAB, shoes

attached to a bar) is harder when you get a late start. However, it

really does not slow them down much; a child can crawl, pull to stand,

even walk in the FAB. It becomes part of your life and part of your

child, really, it does. And the full-time wear doesn't last forever:

it lasts 3 months.

>

> Most important would be to find an experienced Ponseti doctor to

treat your child. If you let us know where you are located, we can

probably point you in the right direction.

>

> Here is a link to booklet about thePonseti method that is full of

information, including some on treating these " older " children.

>

> http://www.global-help.org/publications/cf-enlish.pdf

>

> Good luck in processing your decision. Please let me know if here

is anything else I can help you with.

>

> Naomi

> The Family

> Naomi Hannah(02/21/01) Jonah(06/20/03, bilateral clubfoot, FAB

14/7)

>

> tner <achostner@y...> wrote:

> Hello everyone,

> My husband and I are considering adopting a child with

> bilateral clubfoot. He is older than 6 months and we don't

> know much about his current treatment- the orphanage has him

> in a plastic cast (AFO maybe) that is changed every two weeks.

>

> Does anyone have any experience with adopting a child with

> club foot and starting Ponsetti treatment later developmentally?

>

> We have a Ponsetti method doctor in our area, but I would also

> like to know what other alternatives are available.

>

> Is Ponsetti method suitable for older baby starting treatment or

> would surgery or another treatment method work better for a

> child facing developmental milestones in casted feet?

>

> All suggestions welcome- we are just trying to figure out what

> all our options are and appreciate your help!

>

> Angie Chostner

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Angie,

I just wanted to add to what Naomi said; I urge you to use the

resources of this group to find a well experienced Ponseti doctor, I'm

including here the link to Dr. Ponseti's approved list.

http://www.vh.org/pediatric/patient/orthopaedics/clubfeet/physicians.html---

Everyone in this group will gladly give you their experiences with

doctors, just let us know what area you are in. Regardless of the age

of your child I would highly recommend the Ponseti method over any

surgical methods out there. In addition to having a son with

clubfoot, I was also born with it. Unfortunately at the time my

parents did not find out about the Ponseti method and I was treated

with multiple surgeries. I had 4 surgeries (last one when I was 7)

and did great until I was about 30. Now I have quite a bit of pain in

my clubfoot whenever I am on my feet or walking for longer periods of

time. I just can't say enough about how great the Ponseti method is

and I feel you would be making a serious mistake if you were to choose

the surgical route just because your son to be is a bit older.

Best wishes,

Jenna (4/7/01) & Sammy (9/25/04, RCF, Dobbs brace 16-18 hrs/day)

In nosurgery4clubfoot , Naomi <powellbugs@y...>

wrote:

> Angie,

>

> Many of us here started with a Ponseti method doctor when our

children were a little " older " (meaning after 4 months, some after 12

months, some even older)--in most cases, after failed treatment

elsewhere. As long as there has not been much by way of surgical

intervention, the Ponseti method is very effective for these children.

There are reports out of other countries (India, countries in Africa

and South and Central America) of successful Ponseti treatment of

children up to age 5.

>

> I know that dealing with the foot abduction brace (FAB, shoes

attached to a bar) is harder when you get a late start. However, it

really does not slow them down much; a child can crawl, pull to stand,

even walk in the FAB. It becomes part of your life and part of your

child, really, it does. And the full-time wear doesn't last forever:

it lasts 3 months.

>

> Most important would be to find an experienced Ponseti doctor to

treat your child. If you let us know where you are located, we can

probably point you in the right direction.

>

> Here is a link to booklet about thePonseti method that is full of

information, including some on treating these " older " children.

>

> http://www.global-help.org/publications/cf-enlish.pdf

>

> Good luck in processing your decision. Please let me know if here

is anything else I can help you with.

>

> Naomi

> The Family

> Naomi Hannah(02/21/01) Jonah(06/20/03, bilateral clubfoot, FAB

14/7)

>

> tner <achostner@y...> wrote:

> Hello everyone,

> My husband and I are considering adopting a child with

> bilateral clubfoot. He is older than 6 months and we don't

> know much about his current treatment- the orphanage has him

> in a plastic cast (AFO maybe) that is changed every two weeks.

>

> Does anyone have any experience with adopting a child with

> club foot and starting Ponsetti treatment later developmentally?

>

> We have a Ponsetti method doctor in our area, but I would also

> like to know what other alternatives are available.

>

> Is Ponsetti method suitable for older baby starting treatment or

> would surgery or another treatment method work better for a

> child facing developmental milestones in casted feet?

>

> All suggestions welcome- we are just trying to figure out what

> all our options are and appreciate your help!

>

> Angie Chostner

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

We adopted our son at 6 months and had him treated with the Ponseti

method (bilateral clubfeet). He had some casting in his birth

country, but it was not Ponseti, and he only had the casts

periodically. We took him to Dr. Ponseti within the first month

home, and he did very well with all the casts, weekly visits, driving

(about 270 miles roundtrip),etc. The information we found before we

made our treatment choice said that the rate of success with the

Ponseti method is still very good when started with children as old

as 18 months. Since then, I think there have been other success

stories with children even much older. My understanding is that

even in older children where surgery is not completely avoided, use

of the Ponseti method greatly minimizes the type of surgery needed,

and the amount of surgery.

With an older child, I believe it is especially important to find a

doctor who is highly skilled as well as experienced in the Ponseti

method, since the foot is much more developed at this point. You

can expect the process to take a little longer because the feet are

less flexible and adjust more slowly. We had weekly castings rather

than the 5 day changes in younger babies, and I think it took one or

two more castings than it would have if he was younger. (Zeke was in

casts for two months total.) Dr. Morcuende (who works with Dr.

Ponseti) thought our son's feet felt more like the feet of a one

year old child, and still our son's treatment was very successful.

Our pediatrician had never seen 'Ponseti feet' before, and she was

extremely impressed, saying she would not know that he had club

feet. One and a half years later, Zeke runs all day, his feet are

flexible and mobile; it brings me joy each time I see him use them!

The amount of time spent in casts and full time brace, in the big

picture, goes quickly. When we spoke with friends whose son had

been treated surgically, we found he actually spent much more time

in casts, AFOs, etc. than our son did!

If you are able to see Dr. Ponseti, I highly recommend it, not only

for his tremendous skill and knowledge, but because he and his staff

are such kind, caring and encouraging people. Zeke loved going

there, and never complained about his casts. I consider it a

blessing that Zeke has been able to have an encounter with greatness

so early in his life.

Dr. Ponseti is also very accessible, even if you are not his

patient. Before we committed to adoption, we called his clinic, to

try to get more information, and were blown away that Dr. Ponseti

himself returned our call, and made sure all of our questions were

addressed- he even asked some more to make sure we had the

information we needed.

I wish you all the best, may you have a smooth adoption journey!

Feel free to contact if you have more questions.

Caroline, mom to Zeke, 2 yrs. old, bcf

> Hello everyone,

> My husband and I are considering adopting a child with

> bilateral clubfoot. He is older than 6 months and we don't

> know much about his current treatment- the orphanage has him

> in a plastic cast (AFO maybe) that is changed every two weeks.

>

> Does anyone have any experience with adopting a child with

> club foot and starting Ponsetti treatment later developmentally?

>

> We have a Ponsetti method doctor in our area, but I would also

> like to know what other alternatives are available.

>

> Is Ponsetti method suitable for older baby starting treatment or

> would surgery or another treatment method work better for a

> child facing developmental milestones in casted feet?

>

> All suggestions welcome- we are just trying to figure out what

> all our options are and appreciate your help!

>

> Angie Chostner

[Guest guest]

We adopted our son at 6 months and had him treated with the Ponseti

method (bilateral clubfeet). He had some casting in his birth

country, but it was not Ponseti, and he only had the casts

periodically. We took him to Dr. Ponseti within the first month

home, and he did very well with all the casts, weekly visits, driving

(about 270 miles roundtrip),etc. The information we found before we

made our treatment choice said that the rate of success with the

Ponseti method is still very good when started with children as old

as 18 months. Since then, I think there have been other success

stories with children even much older. My understanding is that

even in older children where surgery is not completely avoided, use

of the Ponseti method greatly minimizes the type of surgery needed,

and the amount of surgery.

With an older child, I believe it is especially important to find a

doctor who is highly skilled as well as experienced in the Ponseti

method, since the foot is much more developed at this point. You

can expect the process to take a little longer because the feet are

less flexible and adjust more slowly. We had weekly castings rather

than the 5 day changes in younger babies, and I think it took one or

two more castings than it would have if he was younger. (Zeke was in

casts for two months total.) Dr. Morcuende (who works with Dr.

Ponseti) thought our son's feet felt more like the feet of a one

year old child, and still our son's treatment was very successful.

Our pediatrician had never seen 'Ponseti feet' before, and she was

extremely impressed, saying she would not know that he had club

feet. One and a half years later, Zeke runs all day, his feet are

flexible and mobile; it brings me joy each time I see him use them!

The amount of time spent in casts and full time brace, in the big

picture, goes quickly. When we spoke with friends whose son had

been treated surgically, we found he actually spent much more time

in casts, AFOs, etc. than our son did!

If you are able to see Dr. Ponseti, I highly recommend it, not only

for his tremendous skill and knowledge, but because he and his staff

are such kind, caring and encouraging people. Zeke loved going

there, and never complained about his casts. I consider it a

blessing that Zeke has been able to have an encounter with greatness

so early in his life.

Dr. Ponseti is also very accessible, even if you are not his

patient. Before we committed to adoption, we called his clinic, to

try to get more information, and were blown away that Dr. Ponseti

himself returned our call, and made sure all of our questions were

addressed- he even asked some more to make sure we had the

information we needed.

I wish you all the best, may you have a smooth adoption journey!

Feel free to contact if you have more questions.

Caroline, mom to Zeke, 2 yrs. old, bcf

> Hello everyone,

> My husband and I are considering adopting a child with

> bilateral clubfoot. He is older than 6 months and we don't

> know much about his current treatment- the orphanage has him

> in a plastic cast (AFO maybe) that is changed every two weeks.

>

> Does anyone have any experience with adopting a child with

> club foot and starting Ponsetti treatment later developmentally?

>

> We have a Ponsetti method doctor in our area, but I would also

> like to know what other alternatives are available.

>

> Is Ponsetti method suitable for older baby starting treatment or

> would surgery or another treatment method work better for a

> child facing developmental milestones in casted feet?

>

> All suggestions welcome- we are just trying to figure out what

> all our options are and appreciate your help!

>

> Angie Chostner