Clubfoot Glossary
Uhh...What does all that mean?
FAB, DBB, ATTT, Talipes... What does all that mean?  Perhaps a
Clubfoot Glossary will help you to learn and understand the lingo
involved in the condition and treatment of clubfoot weather it is the
Ponseti Method or not.  Use this page as a dictionary or an
encyclopedia to help you learn the terms and their meanings as
they apply to your child's clubfoot birth defect.

"But I'm not a doctor, why do I need to know this stuff?" you ask.

Because you are going to speak with doctors and bracing
specialists regarding the health care of your infant or child.  By
speaking intelligently,  you not only gain their respect as an active
partner in healing this birth defect, you help ensure your child is
getting the very best of care.

For easy searching of a specific term, use the Ctl+F keys to open a
word-search box on your screen.

FAB:        Foot Abduction Brace.  This is also known as the "Boots
on a Bar" - and is the pair of shoes connected to each other on a
bar, becoming the brace the child will wear after the casting phase
if over with.

DBB:        Dennis Brown Bar.  This is another term for FAB (foot
abduction brace, aka, boots on a bar.

BCF:        Bilateral Club Foot.  Both feet are affected.

CF:        Clubfoot / clubfeet

RCF:        Right foot is clubbed (right club foot)

LCF:        Left foot is clubbed (left club foot)

PM's:        A nick name for the Ponseti-Mitchell FAB, a FAB
designed by John Mitchell in conjunction with Dr. Ponseti.

Dorsiflexion:        The degree of flexibility the foot has in an up-and-
down motion, as if the top of the toes were attempting to touch the
shin bone of the leg.

Rotation:        How far the feet are rotated outwards from each
other.

Tenotomy:        The process of lengthening the Achilles tendon of
the foot (that tendon above the heel).

Heel-cord-lengthening:        Another term for Tenotomy.

Abduction:        In medicine, the movement of a limb away from the
midline of the body. Abduction of both legs spreads the legs. The
opposite of abduction is adduction. Adduction of the legs brings
them together.

Achilles Tendon:        A tough sinew that attaches the calf muscle to
the back of the heel bone. The Achilles tendon is one of the
longest tendons in the body. It is also called the tendo Achilles or
the tendo calcaneus, the calcaneus being the heel bone.

Articulated:        Sections connected by a flexible joint.

Bilateral:        Having, or relating to, two sides. Bilateral clubfoot
means both feet are affected.

Calcaneus:        The large bone making up the heel of the human
foot or the point of an animal’s hock.

Congenital:        Present at birth. A condition that is congenital is
one that is present at the time of birth. There are numerous uses
of  the term congenital in medicine. There are, for example,
congenital abnormalities, such as clubfoot.

Deformity:        A change from the normal size or shape of an
anatomic structure due to mechanical forces that distort an
otherwise normal structure.

Dorsiflexion:        The turning of the foot or the toes upward, as
when the foot is flexed.

Equinus:        Deformity of the foot in which the heel is pulled up
and the forefoot is pulled down.

Equinovarus:        Similar to equinus, with additional inward turning
of the forefoot.

Gastrosoleus Tendon:        The calf or gastrosoleus is a pair of
muscles—the gastrocnemius and soleus—at the back of the lower
human leg. The gastrosoleus complex is connected to the foot
through the Achilles tendon, and contracts to induce plantar flexion
and stabilization of the ankle complex in the transverse plane.
Functional activities include stabilization during locomotion (walking,
running) and power jumping.

Idiopathic:        Of unknown cause. Any disease that is of uncertain
or unknown origin may be termed idiopathic.

In Utero:        While you are still pregnant, or the baby is still in the
womb.

Ligament:        A ligament is a tough band of connective tissue that
connects various structures such as two bones; it comes from the
Latin ligare, meaning to bind or tie.

Maceration:        The word macerate comes from the Latin macero,
meaning to soften by soaking (in a liquid). If your child’s skin
becomes wet underneath the casts, maceration can occur and the
skin will break down. It is painful and can leave scarring.

Orthopaedics:        The branch of surgery broadly concerned with
the skeletal system (bones). The term is rooted in the word ortho,
meaning straight, and the Greek word paes, meaning child, and
refers to the practice, literally, of straightening the child.

Orthosis (Orthoses, plural):        An external orthopaedic appliance
that prevents or assists the movement of the spine or limbs.

Ponseti, Dr. Ignacio, MD:        Dr. Ponseti developed his method of
clubfoot management more than 50 years ago and has treated
hundreds of infants using this method. He is currently Professor
Emeritus at the University of Iowa and continues to practice his
successful method on children today.

Positional:        Relating to the position of a baby, or babies, in
utero.

Syndromic:        Part of a syndrome. Hearing loss, for instance, can
be syndromic or nonsyndromic.

Talipes:        Clubfoot. The Latin word talipes was compounded
from talus (ankle) and pes (foot) since, with the common or classic
type of clubfoot (talipes equinovarus), the foot is turned in sharply
and the person seems to be walking on his or her ankle. Talipes
equinovalgus refers to the malformation of the foot evident at birth
in which the heel is elevated like a horse’s hoof (equino-) and the
heel is turned outward (valgus).

Tendon:        The tissue by which a muscle attaches to bone. A
tendon is somewhat flexible, but also fibrous and tough.

Tenotomy:        A short procedure that releases the heel cord, or
Achilles tendon. A small cut is put into the tendon (near the heel of
the foot) with a tiny scalpel. This procedure is done to lengthen the
tendon and enable it to function properly when the foot is flexing.

Unilateral:        Having, or relating to, one side. In the case of
clubfoot, this can be either the left foot or the right foot.

Varus:        Angled inward, bent or twisted inward.
Here is an excellent
diagram of the human
foot  to  give a visual
aid to many of the
terms found at your
right.
I want to thank the
Canadian Orthopaedic
Foundation for
assisting with this list
of clubfoot terms.
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