Assessment of Clubfoot Treatment Using Movement Analysis

Clubfoot is a congenital deformity of the foot that has traditionally been treated operatively. In recent years, a shift in ideology has shifted standard practice away from surgical management, to a nonoperative approach, gaining correction through gentle stretching and positioning or casting of the foot. Nonoperative treatment for clubfoot using the Ponseti casting protocol has become more prevalent in expanding areas of the world. Outcomes reported following clubfoot treatment, typically focus on both a clinical assessment and radiographic results. Recent work has shown Gait Analysis to be a useful and objective tool to assess functional outcome following both surgical and nonoperative approaches. The purpose of this paper is to describe the use of gait analysis in the assessment of outcome of clubfoot treatment.