How old can a child be and still be successfully treated with the Ponseti Method?
The Ponseti method is 97% successful if begun within a few weeks of birth. For a child at 6 months of age, the chances that it will work without surgery drop to about 60%. For a child changing over to the Ponseti method, the chances depend on the age, severity, and the degree of correction obtained by the prior doctors. Each case should be looked at individually by a physician, because successful treatment has been reported for children 10 months and older as well as some success in children whose feet had started to regress after having a surgical release. As always, the key to success after correction is adhering to wearing the brace as prescribed to prevent relapse. Doctor Ponseti told me that he feels that many cases of relapse could be prevented if the parent had ensured that the child wear the foot abduction brace as he had dictated.
