The Center for Excellence in Foot at Scottish Rite for Children is one of the world’s leading treatment centers for children and adolescents with a variety of congenital and acquired foot deformities. Under the direction of Anthony I. Riccio, M.D., our surgeons and multidisciplinary team are dedicated to providing the highest level of individualized patient care while advancing both non-operative and operative treatment techniques through extensive research.
The center treats more than 1,000 patients with clubfeet annually and has more than 2,000 clubfoot-related visits each year. We use the Ponseti casting method, which is a proven non-operative clubfoot treatment, and also use technological advances in orthotic care and motion analysis to constantly improve patient outcomes. Collaboration with our bioengineers, the Movement Science Laboratory, molecular geneticists, orthotists and physical therapists creates an optimal research environment that has facilitated extensive research into clubfoot including its cause, the efficacy of operative and non-operative treatments, gait patterns, deviations following treatment and the optimal management of atypical and relapsed deformities.
The center also houses the Complex Adolescent Foot and Ankle Clinic which specializes in providing care and advancing research for difficult adolescent foot disorders. In conjunction with fellowship-trained adult foot and ankle surgeon, Jacob Zide, M.D., orthotic specialists and the Movement Science Laboratory, our team is researching the best treatment options for complex foot disorders in adolescents and young adults. Those conditions include rigid flat feet, stiff cavovarus feet, residual painful foot deformities following surgery years earlier and the adult sequelae of congenital foot deformities. This one-of-a-kind clinic serves as a referral center for patients from across the country and the world.
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The purpose of these studies is to determine the success of nonoperative treatment of clubfoot disorders at 2 years and 5 years, determine how often surgical treatment is needed, determine the frequency of nonidiopathic clubfoot, measure compliance of maintenance bracewear for corrected clubfoot disorders, and determine usefulness of radiographs in clubfoot treatment.
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Multicenter collaboration is underway to study the human genome in an effort to identify genes associated with clubfoot disorders along with variation in genes that may be involved in this deformity’s etiology.
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These studies examine the function and position of corrected feet at age 2 years and 5 years following nonoperative treatment. In those who need limited surgery, tendon transfers can result in better foot positioning.
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This prospective registry has been established to collect objective and patient-reported outcome data in adolescents and young adults being managed for a variety of complex foot and ankle deformities. This data should help shed light on how to better manage the sequelae of congenital and acquired pediatric foot problems in those nearing adulthood.