Clubfoot Program

Whether you learn about it during an ultrasound or you discover it during delivery, hearing that your child has been diagnosed with clubfoot can be both daunting and frightening. At the Children’s Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Center at Stanford Medicine Children’s Health, we have a team of world-renowned physicians and experts standing by to answer your questions and discuss treatment options.

Clubfoot is a condition, usually discovered in an ultrasound or at birth, in which the foot is malformed or rotated downward and turned inward.

Steven Frick, MD, chief of pediatric orthopedic surgery at Stanford Medicine Children’s Health, began studying treatments for clubfoot after his own child was diagnosed with the condition. In most instances, he and his team use the Ponseti method, a nonsurgical treatment that uses casts and braces to help the foot function normally without pain or lifelong disabilities. Treatment options depend on your child’s unique situation.

Dr. Frick is recognized as a Ponseti doctor by the Ponseti International Association, an organization that works with patients and health care providers around the world. He is part of a team of leading pediatric surgery experts who specialize in clubfoot and other foot and ankle conditions. For example, James Gamble, MD, has been practicing for more than 35 years and has spent many of those years volunteering for Operation Rainbow, a charity that provides orthopedic surgery to children in the developing world, including many with clubfoot.

If your child has clubfoot or you just received a prenatal clubfoot diagnosis made by ultrasound, we offer video and telephone consultations with Dr. Frick to learn more about clubfoot treatment options. Please email us with any questions or to schedule a consultation.