Those of you who attended our Centennial Celebration Kickoff, or read the Clubfoot Clinic article in the Spring 2011 newsletter, will remember our young Clubfoot Clinic patient Ben Lovers as an alert youngster fascinated by the centennial celebration's blue and white balloons - and a shiny red soccer ball that he patted eagerly during the ceremony, as if anticipating making his first soccer kick.

Now just over a year old and needing to wear his brace only during "nights and naptime," Ben is using his new freedom to explore his world, step by step. "We're excited," say his parents, Jennifer and Mark, "that Ben can now, so quickly, move on to having a normal childhood with all the joys and adventures that brings."

Jennifer and Mark tell us that a friend of Mark's was treated for clubfoot as a child, and "grew up to be a fine young athlete - the fastest runner on his team -with no memory of ever having had any physical limitations." They believe that this will describe their son's future too. We at LAOH are excited for Ben and his family, pleased that we could help them achieve their dreams of good health, and that you - our LAOH family - have been able to follow along and share in the excitement of Ben's successful first steps.

"Clubfoot is a highly treatable condition," says Ben's physician, Dr. Lewis Zionts, director of the LAOH Clubfoot Clinic. "It has been our experience at LAOH that a good result can be achieved when treatment is begun within 12 weeks of age. If a family seeks care at our clinic within several weeks of birth, there is every chance of correcting this condition fully and with a minimum of discomfort and disruption for both child and parents, preserving the special time in a growing family's early months and years." Dr. Zionts notes that parents' cooperation with the brace protocol is absolutely crucial to assure a successful outcome of the Ponseti method, and that "it has been a pleasure working with Ben's highly motivated family. I look forward to his next visit and watching as his exciting progress continues."

To read more about the treatment of clubfoot at Los Angeles Orthopaedic Hospital, either for your own family or for someone you know, please visit our webpage about clubfoot and the LAOH Clubfoot Clinic.