Mission

Dr. Ponseti, the creator of the gold standard of clubfoot care, dedicated his life to ensuring all children across the world would have access to the best clubfoot treatment and brace, regardless of their economic or social circumstances. His successor, our very own Dr. Jose Morcuende, is the lead developer of the Iowa Brace along with Dr. Nicole Grosland and Dr. Thomas Cook. Because 80% of children who are born with clubfoot are born in developing countries, our mission is to get the Iowa Brace to all children across the world.

Clubfoot Solutions provides children with the Iowa Brace to give them the opportunity to live a productive life free of pain and shame. The Iowa Brace was developed with an emphasis on lifestyle, comfort, and affordability. See for yourself how effective this treatment is for children around the world.

Dr. Ponseti

The Ponseti Method for clubfoot correction is recognized as the gold standard around the world. It was developed by Dr. Ignacio Ponseti. Dr. Ponset came to the University of Iowa from the Spanish island of Menorca in 1941. He completed his residency and went on to join the faculty of orthopedic medicine in 1944. During his research, he found that, in adulthood, former surgical patients often experienced foot stiffness, pain, arthritis, and limited mobility, and in many cases required additional surgery.

By studying the anatomy and functions of a baby’s foot, Dr. Ponseti developed a non-surgical method to correct clubfoot in infants through gentle manipulation of the feet followed by the application of plaster casts. The success of the Ponseti Method has been well documented through patient studies and research articles. For additional information on the Ponseti Method for treating clubfoot please visit http://www.ponseti.info/

The Ponseti International Association

We were founded by the same people who founded the Ponseti International Association. The Ponseti International Association is engaged in building the capacity to treat clubfoot, in large part through properly training health care providers throughout the world. Assuming an average incidence of one child born with clubfoot in every 1,000 live births, there are approximately 200,000 new clubfoot cases each year worldwide. Additionally, it is estimated that there are currently nearly one million children with neglected (untreated) clubfoot deformity under the age of 14. Our experience indicates that, on average, each properly trained Ponseti provider can treat 50 new patients each year (or one new patient each week) if he/she conducts a clubfoot clinic one day each week as part of an active clinical practice. Using this estimate, treating 200,000 new cases of clubfoot each year requires a minimum of 4,000 Ponseti-proficient providers globally.

To address the need, the Ponseti International Association coordinates international training trips using a “train-the-trainer” approach. They also coordinate programs to bring healthcare workers from around the U.S. and world to the University of Iowa for training.

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