FYI- the Troy Aikman clubfoot story

[Guest guest]

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