Exercises

The exercises should be adapted to the age of the patient (child, baby, or adult). For children, playful courses can be offered. The exercises should be designed to train dorsal extension, i.e.

lifting the back of the foot, and pronation, i.e. lifting the outer edge of the foot. This can be trained by a slalom course in which a ball is maneuvered through various obstacles. Climbing up the door frame (secure well!)

also supports the desired direction of movement, as does climbing. The patient can also perform manual mobilization of the foot by expanding the arch and a Fritkon treatment (massage grips at points across the tendon) on the Achilles tendon independently. Parents can help small children well at this point.

Stretches for the calf musculature, e.g. in the lunge step with the leg to be stretched at the back with the heel firmly placed on the ground (if possible) should be performed daily. The stretch is held for 20 seconds, then released and the exercise is repeated in 3 sets. Exercises from PNF and especially Voita complement the training program and can be included in the daily exercise program after an introduction by the therapist.The following articles may be of interest to you:

Exercises/treatment of a clubfoot
Achilles tendon stretching exercises

Foot malpositions

The following four foot malpositions are involved in the formation of clubfoot: Pes equinus – the pointed foot: Due to the excessive pull of the calf muscles and the weakness of the antagonists (muscular antagonist), the ankle joint is pulled into a plantar flexion and supination position, the heel cannot touch down! Pes varus – the forefoot and heel are in supination position, i.e. bent outwards. This can be caused by the muscular tension of the calf, but also the muscles of the metatarsal are not able to stabilize the forefoot against the heel!

Pes excavatus – hollow foot, there is an excessive formation of the longitudinal arch Pes adductus – sickle foot, the forefoot and the toes are turned inwards compared to the rest of the foot. This is the most common malpositioning in babies. Further foot malpositions can be found in the article Physiotherapy for foot malpositions