Hello and welcome to the Zero to Finals podcast. My name is Tom and in this episode I'm going to be

talking to you about Talapes. You can find written notes on this topic at zero definals.com

slash talapes or in the orthopedic section of the Zero Definals Pediatrics book. So let's get straight

into it.

Talapes refers to a fixed abnormal ankle position that presents at birth. It's also known as

club foot. It can occur spontaneously or be associated with other syndromes. It's usually

identified at birth or during the newborn

examination. Talapes equinovirus describes the ankle in plantar flexion and suponation. Talapes

calcaneovalgus describes the ankle in dorsiflection and pronation. Talapies is treated with the Poncetti method with good

results. Surgery may be required if the Poncetti method fails or cannot be used. So let's talk in more

detail about the Poncetti method. The Poncetti method is a way of treating talapies without surgery and it's usually very successful.

Treatment is started almost immediately after birth and it's performed by a properly trained therapist.

The foot is manipulated towards a normal position and a cast is applied to hold it in that position. This is repeated

over and over until the foot is in the correct position. At some point an Achilles tenotomy

is performed to release the tension in the Achilles tendon and this is often done in clinic.

After treatment with the cast is complete, a brace is used to hold the feet in the correct

position when the child is not walking until they're around four years of age.

This brace is sometimes referred to as boots and bars.

Finally, let's talk about positional talepies.

Positional talepies is a common condition where the resting position of the ankle is in plantar flexion and suprenation.

However, it's not fixed in this position and there are no structural bony problems in the ankle.

In positional talapies, the muscles are slightly tight around the ankle,

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