You may not have any idea what a talus is and why it might need correction, but if your child is born with feet that don’t look normal, you want the best treatment so he or she can walk and run and do the normal things kids do. We agree with you! In fact, it’s one of the main goals of our practice. That’s why we want you to understand the problem of a vertical talus and what is involved in treating it.
The talus is the bone in your ankle joint on which the two bones in your lower leg rest. In a rare occurrence, a baby may be born with talus bones that are tipped up rather than lying flat. This throws off the entire alignment of the foot bones. The foot is bent up toward the leg and the bottom is rounded out—a shape called “rocker bottom” for its similarity to the runners on a rocking chair.
In years past, a complicated surgery was usually done early to correct this deformity, but it often led to complications with the surgical wound as well as under or over correction and stiffness. Physicians are always looking for less invasive or less risky procedures to correct foot problems—especially for young children and infants. In recent years, a new method is being usedewwq1.
It is sometimes referred to as “reverse Ponseti technique” because it uses a similar series of manipulations and casting to gently move the foot bones into the correct position during the early months of life. Dr. Ignacio Ponseti developed this method to treat clubfoot in the 1950s to reduce the need for surgery that often led to stiff and painful feet in later years.
We now use this method in the opposite direction to correct vertical talus. Although it doesn’t always eliminate the need for surgery, we hope to gain enough realignment of the bones that any surgical procedure will be less complicated and have better outcomes.
At Southern California Foot & Ankle Specialists in southern Orange County, we have the training and experience with the Ponseti method needed to correct your baby’s curved and bent feet. To find out more, call our office at (949) 364-9255 (WALK) to schedule an appointment for at our office in Ladera Ranch, CA, or contact us online.