Clubfoot and sporting activity

BACKGROUND: One of the most critical aspects of congenital clubfoot treatment is the orthopedist’s relationship with the child’s parents. Indeed, their involvement is mandatory from the outset as well as their awareness of the deformity and the treatment steps. It may explain why clubfoot treatment can be challenging for orthopedists due to the characteristics of the malformation and the parents’ anxiety about the outcome and its impact on the child’s prospects of leading a healthy, active life. A good outcome indicator may be represented by the child’s likelihood of playing a sport like his or her healthy peers. Few studies correlated clubfoot and sporting activity. The aim of the study was to investigate how clubfoot may affect patients’ physical activity. METHODS: Patients treated for clubfoot from 2000 to 2010 were evaluated using data collected from an electronic hospital database. An analysis of clubfoot patients and their satisfaction levels was conducted, including sporting activities played. Subsequently, two comparison studies on certain parameters including sport were conducted between clubfoot sub-groups (according to the method used for the correction of deformities), and between clubfoot and control groups of healthy subjects. Each patient or indeed parent was interviewed by submitting a “custom-made” questionnaire about sporting activities. RESULTS: The main population consists of 53 clubfoot patients: 30 of them were treated with the Kite method with a mean number of 9 preoperative casts, and 23 with the Ponseti method with a mean number of 8.6 preoperative casts. 49 out of 53 underwent surgery. 62.26% of the populations currently play sports for a mean of 4,6 hours a week without any discomfort and only two patients are using orthopedic insoles. Only 9 patients played sport and then ceased (predominantly out of personal choice). A percentage of 64.15% of populations declared satisfaction from their sport and daily life. In the comparison study between the two sub-groups (Kite and Ponseti methods), no significant differences were found in the number of casts, sporting activity, hours of sport, level of sport, use of insoles or other devices and personal satisfaction levels. Finally, the main cohort’s data were compared with a control group of healthy children; no difference was reported during sporting activity. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the limited cohort, children who underwent treatment for clubfoot correction seem to successfully lead a physically active life. The type of treatment would not influence the results in terms of participation in sporting activities.