appt w/Frick

[Guest guest]

Hi all,

My 10 mo. old BCF dtr Sophie had a checkup w/ Dr Frick in Charlotte

this past week. She is on the more severe end of the spectrum esp

her left foot. I dont think she has " atypical/complex " but Im not 100%

sure. (He said he doesnt classify feet that way ?) She has had 2

tenotomies and is in the p/m's 14/7. Anyway, he said her feet look

good but two things we should keep our eye on:

Her left foot has lost some dorsiflexion, you can feel how tight the

achilles tendon has become again. You can get it to neutral but not

much beyond. He said we can try to stretch it out a couple of times a

day and the flexibility could improve as she grows and starts walking

(does this sound right?) but otherwise she will need another tenotomy

just on that foot.

The other issue he pointed out is she has a short big toe relative to

her other toes. I have noticed this before...the ball of her foot is

further down (toward the middle of her foot)than it should be. He

said this is unrelated to clubfoot. Also, it could become less

pronounced as her bones grow. He is going to x-ray her in 3 months

and see how it looks at that point. Apparently you usually see this

short metatarsal in the fourth toe, not the big one. If left

uncorrected it can cause discomfort and pain, and some difficulty

walking etc. There is surgery to lengthen the bone, which he said is

somewhat complicated. I didnt ask if this was something he had

experience with or whether he would recommend us to someone else. I

know Dr. Herzenberg is a specialist in limb lengthening; I dont know

if this qualifies as that.

My question is, has anyone encountered this short metatarsal problem

along with clubfoot? I am trying not to dwell on it since Frick

indicated it could resolve itself or at least improve on its own, and

he also seemed to downplay the severity of the whole problem. I do

hate the thought of surgery, though, and felt like the whole clubfoot

process was manageable.

Frick is highly regarded apparently by Ponseti. I like him but his

whole approach is so laid-back I wonder if he is being too cavalier

(sp?) Or am I just a nervous Nellie

Thanks, it is so great to be able to read everyone's experiences and

gives you some background so you have something else to go on besides

what your doctor says. Esp. since I always think of more questions

after I leave the office.

Zoë

mom to Sophie 7-16-05

and 4 yrs