Ensuring no child grows up disabled as a result of being born with clubfoot - through early identification, Ponseti treatment, and family support.
About Clubfoot
Clubfoot, also known as Congenital Talipes Equinovarus, is a congenital defect of one or both feet. One or both feet are turned inwards, making clubfoot a leading cause of disability in children. It affects the lives of 1 out of 800 newly born children.
1 / 800
Newborns affected
95%+
Ponseti success rate
Early identification changes everything
Gold Standard Care
The clubfoot treatment known as the “Ponseti Method” is an effective, inexpensive, minimally invasive form of treatment and well suited to low-resource settings. It is considered the gold standard treatment for clubfoot.
Treatment involves serial castings over 5-8 weeks, a minor outpatient surgical procedure (Achilles tendon tenotomy), and a foot abduction brace worn while sleeping for 4-5 years to maintain correction and reduce risk of relapse.
01
Achieve correction of deformity through casting and tenotomy.
02
Maintain correction using Foot Abduction Braces.
Both phases are essential to achieving correction of the foot. The Ponseti Method is cost-efficient and has been shown to be effective in more than 95% of cases when done correctly.
To ensure that no child grows up disabled as a result of being born with clubfoot.
Alignment with national priorities
Action Relief Foundation work is aligned with national initiatives of the government. The Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK) is an important initiative “aiming at early identification and early intervention for children from birth to 18 years to cover 4 ‘D’s viz. Defects at birth, Deficiencies, Diseases, Development delays including disability”. Clubfoot is one amongst the 9 defects at birth that is prioritized.
Our Programs
Clinics, training, supplies, and counselling - delivered together so every child can walk toward a brighter future.
We operate and administer our own clubfoot programs in partnership with the Government, as well as with charitable and trust hospitals. We establish a weekly Clubfoot Relief clinic day(s) in hospitals so that parents of children with clubfoot have access at a reasonable distance and time.
We invest in capacity building of doctors in the Ponseti method by conducting basic, advanced, and train-the-trainer programs. The train-the-trainer program develops doctors who can train further doctors and continue knowledge dissemination in the Ponseti method.
We ensure provision of readymade Plaster of Paris, soft roll, and braces for the entire lifecycle of treatment - so care is never interrupted by supply gaps.
We invest in program executives and managers to help implement the program. A large part of their work focuses on counselling and outreach - in-clinic, via home visits, and telephonically.
Support Clubfoot Relief
Your donation funds clinics, casting supplies, braces, training, and parent counselling - the full journey of care.
