Clubfoot Research Paper

Words: 1389
Pages: 6

Graceful, athletic, and courageous describe how Kristi Yamaguchi figure skates. However, how can someone with clubfoot be such a great figure skater? She wanted to achieve her goal of becoming a great figure skater even though she had a disability. Kristi Yamaguchi reached her goal and achieved many awards after she overcame clubfoot.
To begin, clubfoot is a deformity of the foot. When one or both feet twist toward each other, that is considered clubfoot (Lobb 38). The Latin name of clubfoot is talipes equinovarus. There are four types of clubfoot. Talipes varus, the most common form, looks like the letter “J”. Talipes valgus looks like the letter “L”. Talipes equinus is where the foot points downward. Finally, talipes calcaneus, the least common type of clubfoot, is where the foot points upward (“Clubfoot”).
Equally important are the statistics about clubfoot. Clubfoot is the most common birth defect and is more
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Clubfoot can be genetic, but during pregnancy if the mother has infections or if she takes drugs, that can affect the baby, too (“Clubfoot”). The development of the baby's bones, ligaments, and muscles in the womb can also lead to clubfoot (“Clubfoot Global Clubfoot”). Females have a one in forty chance of having clubfoot whereas males have a one in sixteen chance of having clubfoot. For twins, if one has clubfoot, then the other baby has a 32.5 percent chance of developing clubfoot. When both parents have clubfoot and since it can be genetic, then their child has a one in four chance of developing clubfoot. If a first-degree-relative has clubfoot, then the child has two percent chance of developing clubfoot as opposed to 0.61 percent chance if a second-degree-relatives has the disability. The chances go down the farther away a relative is in line. If a child's third-degree-relative has clubfoot, then the child only has a 0.2 percent chance of getting clubfoot (Weatherford