Clubfoot clinic finds success with outcomes, satisfaction
A clubfoot clinic at Le Bonheur Children’s is practicing innovation in more ways than one. Its approach to bringing surgeons, therapists and child life specialists into one clinic – and noninvasive technique for treating clubfoot – has yielded good outcomes and satisfied families.
“Our multidisciplinary approach allows for patients and their families to see doctors and therapists all in the same location – while our child life specialists make visits even easier on our families,” said Orthopedic Surgeon Derek Kelly, MD.
In fact, the clinic has posted 100 percent satisfaction scores the first seven months of 2009, the latest data available. Kelly also attributes the scores to families’ ability to see real progress in their child’s condition. He and his team use the minimally invasive Ponseti method – which calls for five to six weeks of weekly manipulations to a child’s foot or feet, followed by plaster cast applications. At the end of the casting period, most children require a minor surgery to lengthen the heelcord before spending another three weeks in casts.
Established decades ago, the treatment has recently gained attention because of a 35-year follow-up study showing that feet treated with this method are strong, flexible and pain free. At Le Bonheur, both physicians and therapists are trained in the method and are able to apply casts.
Kelly, who also practices with Campbell Clinic Orthopaedics, is waiting on IRB approval to study the effects of having both physicians and physical therapists cast patients. Kelly said he and his team will look at treatment success, the number of casts that must be used to complete treatment, patient satisfaction and complications. As part of the study, he expects to follow 250 patients for at least five years.
