Ponseti Clinic on the Neklepat podcast: Treating clubfoot with the Ponseti method
18. July 2026
Head physician Ponseti Clinic MUDr. Mgr. Monika Frydrychová, Ph.D., accepted an invitation to the medical podcast Don't Knock, which is created under the banner of the news server Novinky.cz.
Together with her, Michaela Štiková, founder of the Anežka Foundation, who has been a partner of the Ponseti Clinic since the very opening of the clinic and has been helping children with physical and combined disabilities and their families for a long time, was also a guest on the podcast.
clubfoot affects approximately one child in a thousand
The main topic of the interview was the congenital orthopaedic defect pes equinovarus congenitus – PEC, which is also known to the public as horse's or clubfoot. In the Czech Republic, approximately two hundred children are born with this defect every year.
PEC causes a complex deformity of the foot and lower limb. The child's foot is curled inward and its toe points down. The defect can affect one or both lower limbs.
However, with the early initiation of properly conducted treatment, it is possible to achieve a very good correction in most cases and enable the child to lead a normal life without significant restriction of movement.
is it necessary to start treatment as soon as possible?
MD Mgr. In the podcast, Monika Frydrychová, Ph.D., explains why treatment should be started within the first days after the birth of a child and how the treatment is carried out using the Ponseti method.
This method is primarily based on the gradual plastering of the legs, possible minor surgery on the Achilles tendon and the subsequent long-term use of an abduction splint.
During the first weeks of treatment, the position of the foot is gradually corrected. After the plastering phase, the child switches to the splinting regimen, which is initially very intensive and then gradually becomes limited mainly to sleep time.
Adherence to the recommended regime is also essential from the point of view of preventing the return of the deformity. Treatment usually continues until the child is four or five years old.
Ponseti method instead of extensive operations
One of the topics of the conversation is also the development of treatments for clubfoot. While in the past children often underwent extensive operations, modern treatment through the Ponseti method allows correction to be achieved in a significantly more gentle way in most cases.
A properly and timely treated child can normally walk, run, play sports and participate in daily activities just like his peers after the treatment is completed.
The podcast also discusses whether it is possible to recognize clubfoot already during pregnancy, how long the individual stages of treatment last and why follow-up orthopaedic and physiotherapy care is important.
When treatment burdens the family budget
The treatment of a child with a disability can be demanding for the family not only in time and psychologically, but also financially. Some aids, therapies and other related services are not covered at all or only partially by the public health insurance.
It is in these situations that the Anežka Foundation helps families, which supports children with physical and combined disabilities. In addition to children with PEC, it also helps children with cerebral palsy, whose care often includes long-term physiotherapy, occupational therapy, clinical speech therapy, hippotherapy and other professional services.
In the podcast, the founder of the foundation, Michaela Štiková, also describes the personal story behind the creation of the Anežka Foundation, and explains why supporting the health of children and their families is its main mission.
Listen to the full interview: Interview Link
We greatly appreciate the opportunity to present to the general public the issue of pes equinovarus congenitus, the possibilities of modern treatment and the importance of early initiation of care.
We thank the Neklepat podcast and the Novinky.cz server for the space dedicated to the topic, which affects hundreds of new families every year.
In the entire interview, you will learn, among other things:
- what is equinovarus congenitus dog and how does this defect arise,
- how the treatment with the Ponseti method takes place,
- why it is necessary to start treatment immediately after birth,
- whether it is possible to detect PEC already during pregnancy,
- how long the child uses the abduction splint,
- why gentle conservative treatment is preferred today,
- what costs may be associated with the treatment,
- how the Anežka Foundation helps families.
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