Re: FYI- the Troy Aikman clubfoot story

[Guest guest]

Wow- way to dig up the truth! Thanks, I've been telling the whole

family " Troy Aikman had it and he still played football! "

Jenn

>

> For those of you who are not U.S. National Football League fans,

> Troy Aikman is a famous quarterback who played for the Dallas

> Cowboys. Troy's name is often mentioned on the lists of " famous

> celebrities and athletes born with clubfoot " . I was unable to

find

> much information about this, so I inquired through one of his

> websites and got a very nice response from his mother regarding

his

> treatment. It appears that Troy did not have the standard talipes

> equinovarus that most of our children have, yet he did not

> apparently have a common case of metatarsus adductus either.

> I got permission to share this information from his mother with

the

> group, so here it is:

>

> I understand your frustration in finding information you are

seeking

> regarding athletes and clubfoot. There has been a lot of

> misinformation regarding Troy and " clubfoot " as well.

>

> He was not born with clubfoot. The orthopedic surgeon he was

> referred to called it " third clubfoot. " If there was another

> medical term for his problem, it was never given to me.

>

> Both his feet were curved inward and down, to the extent a hard-

> soled shoe could not be put on his feet. When he was 8 months old

> casts were put on both feet, extending to the knee, and they

changed

> every 2 weeks until he was 13 months old. Then he was fitted with

> orthopedic shoes that he wore day and night (at night the heels

were

> held together with a short leather strap) until he was 3 years old.

>

> At the time his bones had calcified and he no longer needed any

> medical attention.

>

> I hope this helps with your questions.

>

> All the best,

>

> Charlyn Aikman

> Troy Aikman Foundation

>

[Guest guest]

I had a similar email exchange with Troy Aikman's mother some time ago. It

doesn't sound like he had a textbook case of metatarsus adductus, since there

seemed to be some equinus (foot pointing down). However, the term " third

clubfoot " --as in " one-third of a clubfoot " --is another term for metatarsus

adductus.

Another famous athlete who is often said to have been born with at least one

clubfoot is Mia Hamm of women's soccer fame. Her mother refers to her deformity

as a " partial clubfoot " . The Merck Manual says that this is a structural

deformity--also called talipes varus--where the whole foot turns inwards without

any of the equinus that a " full " clubfoot has. Mia Hamm had corrective casting

and wore a DBB for a short time.

" Real " clubfoot or not, these mothers fretted over their children's feet; they

were thrilled when their children took their first steps, took off running and

started kicking balls around the yard; they were proud beyond all measure when

their children exceeded their wildest expectations. They probably would have

fit right in with the bunch of us.

Naomi

The Family, North Coast of California

Naomi Hannah(2/21/1) Jonah(6/20/3, corrected BCF, FAB 12-14/7)

jennyandkelly wrote: For those of you who are

not U.S. National Football League fans,

Troy Aikman is a famous quarterback who played for the Dallas

Cowboys. Troy's name is often mentioned on the lists of " famous

celebrities and athletes born with clubfoot " . I was unable to find

much information about this, so I inquired through one of his

websites and got a very nice response from his mother regarding his

treatment. It appears that Troy did not have the standard talipes

equinovarus that most of our children have, yet he did not

apparently have a common case of metatarsus adductus either.

I got permission to share this information from his mother with the

group, so here it is:

I understand your frustration in finding information you are seeking

regarding athletes and clubfoot. There has been a lot of

misinformation regarding Troy and " clubfoot " as well.

He was not born with clubfoot. The orthopedic surgeon he was

referred to called it " third clubfoot. " If there was another

medical term for his problem, it was never given to me.

Both his feet were curved inward and down, to the extent a hard-

soled shoe could not be put on his feet. When he was 8 months old

casts were put on both feet, extending to the knee, and they changed

every 2 weeks until he was 13 months old. Then he was fitted with

orthopedic shoes that he wore day and night (at night the heels were

held together with a short leather strap) until he was 3 years old.

At the time his bones had calcified and he no longer needed any

medical attention.

I hope this helps with your questions.

All the best,

Charlyn Aikman

Troy Aikman Foundation