We are Nataliya and Phillip. Phillip is 1.3 years old. I have an elder daughter - Lisa who is 9 years old. Phillip has a heavy congenital bilateral clubfoot.

When we arrived to the local orthopedist for the first time Phillip was 10 days old. "The Doctor" said as we just stepped in. "You are our client till fifteen years! This inborn defect is incurable and it is only possible to correct the deformity. And I do not guaranty if he ever walks" I was in tears and desperation for a fortnight. My breast milk was about to run out. But then I put myself together. And here is the story of our treatment.

We used conservative classical casts since Phillip's 26 days for two months. There was no result whatsoever but a huge scar after a big blister on his thigh under one awkwardly applied cast. After that we used short tutors (splints) made of plaster. There was still nothing. When my boy was 4 months old I started for Vladimir City to Doctor Chochiev where we had Ponseti Method casts and tenotomy done. But that time we did not use the splint after all casts were done and we wore high plastic tutors (splints) with hyper corrected feet.

The feet were very good by that time and all doctors said so. But when in two months the tutors (splints) became small and new ones were ordered at our home town (they were very badly made and were short) there came a recurrence of the front feet abduction (inward turning).

So at the age of 1,1 years we started again for the new series of treatment by Ponseti this time to Yaroslavl City to Doctor Vavilov to have correcting casts for two weeks. And straight after the correction we put on Phillip's feet English Markell shoes with the splint that were sent to us by our friends from England.

For now we are very pleased with the state of Phillips feet.

Nataliya Schetinin

May 2007

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