Thank you, Dr. Ponseti

During our visit to Greeley this week for Jackson's foot checkup, we learned of the passing of Dr. Ponseti, the creator of the leading clubfoot treatment and a mentor to our doctor here in Colorado. He was 95 years old and still worked to help children with clubfoot.

When we were first told that Jackson had clubfoot, I was twenty weeks pregnant and was not prepared to hear anything like that. I left the ultrasound appointment with pictures of my beautiful baby, and big fat tears running down my cheeks.

Thank goodness for the internet. Not knowing anything about clubfoot, I turned to my computer and spent hours doing research. As I learned of Dr. Ponseti's method, I was drawn to it because of one main factor - it was non-surgical. If my child could be fixed without going under the knife, that is what I wanted. For years, it was common practice to treat clubfoot with surgery, which then often required numerous follow-up surgeries resulting in chronic pain in some patients. While treatments have changed, I found that while many use Dr. Ponseti's concepts, not every doctor follows the complete course of treatment Dr. Ponseti created. We were fortunate to find the only doctor in Colorado who has trained under Dr. Ponseti and is certified in Ponseti's treatment method. Fortunately Josh was already familiar with Dr. Hatch through work.

Jackson started his cast treatment with Dr. Hatch when he was 4 days old. The first few months were certainly trying. The first cast removal took 1 1/2 hours, but by the end we were down to 10 minutes (the secret - pruning shears).

Fortunately, Jackson only required minor "surgery" on one foot. A tenotomy is when the Achille's tendon is cut, then braced in a cast to heal. The foot is stretched in the cast to allow for greater movement of the foot/ankle. This procedure took 5 minutes in the doctor's office with only a local anesthetic. Jackson was his normal, happy self within minutes.

Now, at 7 months old Jackson no longer needs casting. He wears a brace and boots during his naps and at night (down from 23 hours a day the first few months).
The few times he's fallen asleep for a nap without his brace, he slept terribly. It has become a part of his routine, and it is his normal. He'll wear his brace for a few more years, and though it may seem inconvenient of tedious, I would much have him in shoes while he sleeps than have scars and scar tissue from repeated surgeries. He still has a long way to go, since regression can happen. You never know if he may need surgery down the road, but I'm glad he was given this chance from the beginning.

So, I want to thank Dr. Ponseti for his work. Though I never met him, he has made a great impact on our family. He has helped my son go from this...


to this...

in such a short amount of time and through it all, Jackson was able to be himself - the happiest little boy I've ever seen.