Dr Ignacio Ponseti (1914-2009)
Dr Ignacio Ponseti (1914-2009)
Photo: Creative Commons
Dr Ignacio Ponseti - pioneer of clubfoot treatment, has died. He was 95 years old.
Dr Ponseti, born in Menorca in 1914, developed the Ponseti Method in the 1950s. The method is a non-surgical technique to correct clubfoot using a weekly programme of gentle manipulation and plaster castings.
Initially the method was not widely embraced, but during the 1990s, and after increased exposure in the media and the internet, its usage finally became recognised as a means of successfully treating the clubfoot condition without the need or risk of surgery.
The Ponseti Method has been widely used in CBM's partner projects in places like Malawi and Uganda. The method is most effective in treating children under the age of 2 years and has a success rate of around 98%*.
"Tens of thousands in the world today owe their mobility to Dr Ponseti", said Dr Bill McAllister, CEO of CBM UK.
CBM co-worker and Orthopaedic Surgeon, Steve Mannion, who introduced the method in Malawi, added: "Based on our success in applying the Ponseti method in Malawi, we are introducing it into other developing countries. It has become the 'gold standard' of treatment in Africa. It is more effective than treating club foot with surgery. It does not need to be done by doctors – it can be applied by health workers".
Clubfoot is the most common serious deformity affecting children. In the UK it occurs in 1 per 1000 births. In the developing world there are up to 6 per 1000.
Dr. Ponseti's Legacy
Dr. Norgrove Penny, paediatric orthopaedic surgeon and senior adviser for physical disability for CBM, said: "We have lost the 'father' of clubfoot, Dr. Ponseti. Dr. Ponseti took a great interest in the clubfoot work being done in Africa."
"We at CBM have been fully supportive of the Ponseti technique and implementing it in our projects around the world to great success. His technique of treating babies with clubfoot without surgery was revolutionary and applicable to the developing world; his legacy will be seen as one of the great turning points in treating babies with physical impairments worldwide."
The Ponseti International Association for the Advancement of Clubfoot Treatment was founded in 2006 at the University of Iowa.
Dr Ponseti died on 18th October at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics after a sudden illness. He is survived by his wife, Helena Percas-Ponseti.
* Source: www.ponseti.info
Further Reading
- Dr Ponseti treating an American boy - YouTube.com
- Dr Ignacio Ponseti - Wikipedia article
- University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics