One year ago: Dr. Ignacio Ponseti

An estimated 200,000 infants worldwide are born each year with clubfoot, in which a tight, deformed Achilles' tendon causes the foot to turn downward or sideways.

Dr. Ignacio Ponseti created a way to treat clubfoot without surgery, changing thousands of children's lives.

Ponseti would gently stretch and tug a child's foot into a closer approximation of the correct position, then place it in a toe-to-groin cast. The process would be repeated weekly for three to five weeks. Then, the child would be fitted with a brace that he or she -- girls are twice as likely to suffer the problem -- would wear 23 hours a day for three months. After that, the brace would be worn only at night and during naps for three more years.

By age 4, the clubfoot would be corrected.

Ponseti died a year ago at age 95. Read more about his work in The Times' obituary.

-- Times staff writer

Photo: Dr. Ignacio Ponseti is 1943. Credit: University of Iowa

Comments

[Karen]

Remembering Dr Ponseti today - he impacted our son's life - and many thousands more babies treated by his gentle method.

Note that BOYS are twice as likely to have clubfoot than girls, you have it the wrong way around.

Thank you.

[Allie]

Boys are actually more likely to have clubfoot than girls. Our daughter was born with bilateral clubfeet and thanks to his method she is living a normal life!

[Deborah]

And also thanks to Dr. Ponsetti, there have been gains by his students and co-workers at the University of Iowa in many foot deformities. I meet him, and had major work done by a fellow orthopedic doctor that now 38 years later is still holding up. He was a gentle,kind man who have very great vision.