Club foot is a debilitating condition for children. Physically exhibited by an inward turning of the foot, children who are born with club foot often suffer from a shortening of the muscles in that same foot and leg. When a muscle is shortened, as in the case of club foot, a surgical procedure, known as tenotomy can be performed. Tenotomy is the procedure by which a surgeon can lengthen a muscle that has become resistance to stretching. When diagnosed early, some children with club foot will undergo aggressive physical therapy to stretch the muscles. However, when this form of therapy is not successful, surgical intervention is usually required.

As an invasive outpatient surgical procedure, general anesthesia is used during tenotomy. Cutting through the tendon, the surgeon will then stretch the affected muscle and then re-attach the tendon. Using a cast, the muscle is the maintained in that stretched length, allowing for tendon stretching as part of the healing process. Children with club feet, who undergo tenotomy, will usually wear this cast for as long as three weeks. After three weeks, the cast will come off and physical therapy will begin to continue training and stretching the affected muscles and tendons on the club foot.

In children who undergo tenotomy, as a correction to club foot, within six months after the procedure, there is a great improvement in the child's mobility. With little risk for complications, many surgeons recommend tenotomy as a viable option to providing a remedy to club foot, even without consideration for therapy first. When health complications do arise out of the tenotomy procedure, they usually involve the complications of bleeding and infection, at the surgical site, in the days following the procedure. Once the risk for infection has passed, the recovery process simply involves waiting for the cast to come off and then proceeding with physical therapy.

As with any complication involving the growth and development of a child, the key to your child's optimal health lies in the early and aggressive treatment of developmental disorders as they arise. In children with club foot, that may mean performing a tenotomy early in life so as to provide the best possible option for muscular growth that is symmetrical to the side that is not impacted by club foot. When considering your child's treatment options, discuss the surgical options including the procedure that involves muscle and tendon stretching, known as tenotomy.