i too would like to hear from anyone who has found some trick or even bribbery they have used on their own child that seemed to be useful. Thank you and OOD LUCK on a speedy recovering for your son Belle!

Thanks!!

My 2 year old son was born with a right club foot, we started with the weekly castings, the Achilles Tendon lengthening at 7 weeks and then the Ponsetti brace for 23hrs a day for 4 months, after that we were allowed to decrease the time in the brace to nap time and night time sleeping, and eventually down to 12 hrs a day only at night (my son no longer naps so daytime isn't an option).

This went ok for a while, but ever since my son got stronger and older and he started to want to turn over in his sleep, we've been having issues. Wearing the brace and trying to turn over meant he'd get stuck, start screaming and wake up. I used to try propping his feet, or one side up on a pillow to feel less pressure, or between two pillows so he could sleep on his side. After being woken up constantly during the night he now sleeps in the bed with me so that in my half sleep state I can turn him when he wants to change position. Got to love getting kicked with that metal bar all night! We've even continued to let him have a bottle at night, because this is sometimes the only thing that calms him and soothes him back to sleep. So his GP and dentist are giving me a hard time about that too.

Our doctors have not had any suggestions or advice, in fact they all just shrug their shoulders and say "Can't help, just make sure you keep that brace on." I have now had to stop working because I get such a little bit of sleep that I don't really function during the day and my husband has taken to sleeping in the spare room so that he can get some sleep.

All the doctors have said that he will have to wear the brace until he is at least 4, possibly longer. Does anyone have any advice on how to get a 2 year old to sleep with the brace on? Whats worked for you, what hasn't worked?

I feel like we are in the home stretch now and don't want to give up now. The only option if we cant get the brace to work will be surgical and I don't want my son to have any surgeries unless its absolutely essential and certainly not because I selfishly wanted to get some sleep!

For all those moms out there just starting this process, it may not seem like now but the younger they are the easier it is to get them to wear the casts and brace no matter how much it may not seem like it at the time.

I am really really hoping that Kitten from Northern Ireland might see this post!! I am from NI too and just read your post about the calf implant - oh my goodness that sounds great! I would love to get in contact and find out who your surgeon was and how you went about getting funding, etc. Really hope you find this post.

Louise

Now I am having problems. Apart from knee and ankle aches and stiffness, largely controlled by anti-inflams and painkillers, I have recently developed a severe swelling to my left ankle and foot which split the skin on the scar tissue at the operation site for the achiles tendon release. This has developed into an ulcer which is large and very, very slow healing. The ankle is still swollen and painful and I have to use a walking stick to ease the load on it.

I am under a Rheumatologist and a Vascular surgeon at the Kent and Canterbury hospital and have recently had an MRI scan on the ankle concerned. Their diagnosis "a ruptured achiles tendon"! This they say caused a haematoma which burst through the weak scar tissue and caused the ulcer. The ruptured tendon, of course, was deliberate and done when I was about 6 years old and as for the haematome, who knows!

A Podiatrist has recently told me that he thinks the ulcer, (usually caused by poor blood circulation) is a result of the low activity of my calf muscles who's pumping action assists lower limb circulation. Since then I have started a regieme of foot exercises to increase the use of the muscles and I have to report that it has worked wonders! My arterial blood supply to my feet is good and recent Doplers show it a very 'normal'. My next test is a 'US Dopler Veins Legs'to test the health of the veins.

So I seem to have a circulation issue, cause partly by low muscle activity in my lower legs. So I would advise all of you fellow club footers to get into circulation improving exercises (google: lower limb circulation exercises) as early as possible. They are easy and can be done whilst sitting and doing other things. My ulcer is now healing!

As a footnote (lol) I do not suffer from arthritis but do get very stiff in the joints. This is due, I am told, to my deformed feet putting pressure on the other joints in my legs. I am now concentrating on a different walk which involves moving the weight into the inner part of my foot and flexing the ankle joint as I move forward. It is helping a lot!!!

I'm 30 and I had a clubbed left foot and no heel. I had 4 ops on it, corrective boots and loads of physiotherapy. I used to have problems running as a younger man and got injured a lot, funnily enough on my right leg! Anyhow, I gave up running and took up triathlon and found that the cycling built leg strength which allowed me to run without injury; I also had custom orthotics made for me to run in.

I completed an Ironman at 27 and then ran a 50 mile mountain race this year. Next year I'm doing a 100 mile run in the mountains! Perhaps I'm physiologically lucky but I was brought up with no exceptions allowed for my leg, it was just another problem to deal with!

I just thought I'd drop you a line...

I'm 32 years old and I was born with two club feet though my left was much worse. Like Tom I have small feet with my right being a size 6 and my left a size 4 1/2 and he is right about it being cheaper on shoes/trainers lol. I never suffered from ankle pain like your son has but at his age and still my feet felt a kinda stiffness in the mornings, my father used to joke I looked like an old man getting out of bed, though after a minute or two it goes. I can't give you medical advise but Tom is right it really doesn't hold them back, I mean yes they probably won't be Wayne Rooney but let's be honest that's not a bad thing. I play lots of sports and found the one that suited me best was golf as the footwear was supportive and if my feet ever got sore theirs always buggies :) Im now playing off a 12 handy cap though when I was younger a 6 so not far off pro level.

When I was at school I used to hate wearing two different size shoes as kids can be cruel at times, so after a while I started wearing the same size. To be honest my mother was smart on that one so brought me a pair of cool Nike air trainers then over night kids stopped thinking of me being the lad with odd sized shoes and a slightly different walk to the kid with the coolest trainers :) don't know if what I have said helps but if you would like to know more just ask.

David

P.s Just though there is one bad side to having small feet, the girlfriend pinches your Nikies lol

TOM...

thanks for your reply, i already have arth in my feet at the moment and my joints are stiff, espeically in my right ankle, i appreciate what you are saying, do you think i should go for this operation? im 21 almost 22, i have my life ahead of me and i have not a clue what to do.

and 'linviqal' - what you on about?

Laura