Clubfoot treatment helps children recover in Varanasi with timely medical care

VARANASI: As many as 70 children suffering from clubfoot recovered in Varanasi district since 2019. The Chief Medical Officer, Dr Sandeep Chaudhary, said that this programme is being run by the health department's Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK) and Anushka Foundation.

The CMO said that 512 children were treated under this programme in the district, with 64 children already recovered. In April 2025, nine children came for treatment, with six undergoing surgery. There are clubfoot OPDs at Pt Deendayal Upadhyay Hospital on Saturdays, SSPG Divisional Hospital, Kabirchaura on Wednesdays, and BHU Trauma Center on Thursdays from 9 AM to 2 PM.

He said that parents often worry when they notice their newborns have crooked feet, fearing it to be an incurable condition. This concern is heightened when the affected child is a girl, due to future marriage prospects. The condition of having crooked feet from birth is known as 'clubfoot.' It is not incurable, and with timely treatment, children can become completely healthy.

The CMO said that clubfoot is treated using the Ponseti method, which involves casting in the first phase to gradually straighten the foot using a cast (plaster) that is changed weekly for 4 to 8 weeks. In the second phase, a tenotomy is performed, a minor 10-minute outpatient procedure to cut the Achilles tendon to increase foot flexibility. The third phase involves bracing, where a brace is worn for 4 to 5 years to maintain the correct foot position and prevent relapse.

The additional CMO and RBSK nodal officer, Dr Sanjay Rai, emphasised notifying the RBSK team through local health centres, ASHA, ANM, or Anganwadi workers if any child is affected by this condition, ensuring free and proper treatment.

Registration is done at sabalkashi.com for appropriate treatment and regular monitoring.

This condition causes congenital foot deformity, affecting one in 800 children. Annually, 33,000 children with clubfoot are born in India, and after complete treatment, they can lead normal lives like other children, provided treatment starts immediately after birth. About 50% of children affected by clubfoot have deformities in both feet. Treatment options include plaster and surgery, decided by the doctor after examining the condition.

Anushka Foundation's district coordinator, Sarita Mishra, said that treatment is crucial within the first 3 to 4 months of birth. If treated within this period, there is a 100% chance of correction. If treatment begins after 2 years, there is only a 50% chance of correction.