Clubfoot and Motor Skills

BMC Pediatrics published research on idiopathic clubfoot and motor skill ability. Twenty children (mean age 7.5 years) were evaluated with the Movement Assessment Battery for Children (MABC) and the Clubfoot Assessment Protocol (CAP). A correlation existed between single leg stance on the CAP and MABC scores. Children with idiopathic clubfoot demonstrated higher prevalence of motor impairment on the MABC and the subtest of ball skills. Children with unilateral and bilateral clubfoot had the same amount of motor problems. There was no relation found between MABC and the clinical outcome or surgery of the clubfoot. The authors conclude that there may be other factors besides musculoskeletal influencing motor skills in children with idiopathic clubfoot.

Reference: Hanneke Andriesse , Lena Westbom and Gunnar Hagglund. Motor ability in children treated for idiopathic clubfoot. A controlled pilot study. BMC Pediatrics 2009, 9:78doi:10.1186/1471-2431-9-78