Movement characteristics to identify the risk of relapse in children with clubfoot

The clubfoot deformity is one of the most common congenital orthopaedic “conditions” . Worldwide approximately 100,000 children are born with unilateral or bilateral clubfoot every year. Nowadays, the Ponseti method is worldwide the golden standard for the initial treatment of the clubfoot. Despite the large body of literature available on good initial outcomes of the Ponseti method, far less is known about the functional long-term outcome of the treatment. Physical impairments of children with clubfoot might lead to limitations in activities and therefore impede a child’s participation. This does not only affect long term and physical health of a child, it will also affect the development of social relationships and skills as well. Functional outcomes of physical activities (including gait) and the characterisation of participation of children with clubfeet in daily activities of childhood will provide essential information that can be used in the development of a quick and efficient way to detect problems with function and participation in children with clubfeet, so early detection in a clinical setting and improvement of treatment will be possible. In this project, the role of gait analysis in early detection and treatment of relapse clubfoot as well as the relationship between participation level, motor ability and function will be studied.