Special graduation ceremony for children suffering from clubfoot

Lemon and spoon race, balloon bursting game or a graduation ceremony may be common in schools these days.
Special graduation ceremony for children suffering from clubfoot

BENGALURU: Lemon and spoon race, balloon bursting game or a graduation ceremony may be common in schools these days. The only difference in this event was, the participants were a few children suffering from clubfoot. These special kids participated in various fun activities and received medals of honour carrying a picture of Dr Ignacio Ponseti, developer of the Ponseti method to treat clubfoot, a low-cost, non-surgical approach.

At Rainbow Children’s Hospital, the department of paediatric orthopedics celebrated the day to further the belief that every child born with clubfoot is entitled to treatment through the Ponseti method.

“World Clubfoot Day, which falls on June 3, is a special time of celebration for families with children having clubfeet. The date was chosen to commemorate the birth date of Dr Ponseti (1914-2009),” said Mr Neeraj Lal, vice-president and cluster head of Rainbow Children’s Hospital.

Clubfoot is a congenital condition that causes a baby’s foot to turn inward or downward. Hence, playing normal games like lemon and spoon is not an easy task for such children. For the first time in Bengaluru, Rainbow Children’s Hospital, Marathahalli, organised this special event to create awareness on clubfoot. Clubfoot is the most common musculature birth deformity in children, affecting 200,000 newborn children each year, 80 per cent in developing countries. In Ponseti technique, stretching is used in combination with a cast to treat the clubfoot.

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