Clubfoot, a congenital defect resulting in shorter than normal tendons and stiff muscles that causes one or both feet to curl inward and downward at the ankle, affects 1 out of every 1,000 babies born in the U.S. The condition is treatable without surgery using a technique developed at the University of Iowa known as the Ponseti Method.

CPH professor emeritus Tom Cook was recently interviewed about the public health dimensions of clubfoot and the interdisciplinary collaboration involved in the UI approach to treating the condition.

“Four to six casts over four to six weeks will take a foot that is significantly deformed and straighten it out,” said Cook. “No surgery, no anesthesia, no nurse, no operating room; just the skill of the physician and a little plaster.”

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