My son has been diagnosed with clubfeet. His toes seem to point inward and his foot isn’t exactly straight. I took him to a special clinic for this problem. There were other children there with “clubfoot” but their feet didn’t look anything like my child’s. Are there different kinds of clubfoot?

Clubfoot deformity is also known as equinovarus. Equino means “like a horse.” Varus refers to the inward curve of the foot. The horse’s hoof is like a large toenail. The rest of the horse’s joint at the hoof points backward and looks like a human heel. The term “clubfoot” more accurately describes the shape of the foot as a whole before correction of the deformity.

Most clubfoot deformities (95 per cent) occur because the bone of the forefoot shift toward the big toe side and point downward. The foot looks twisted in an abnormal position. In other cases, the heel or calcaneus shifts position.

In other words, sometimes just the toes of the forefoot are affected. In other patients, the forefoot and the heel are involved. This gives each child a slightly different looking foot and may be what you are seeing.