The cost of the Cunningham Brace and treatment including all consultations at LOC is as follows.
Depending on the age of you child when LOC’s treatment commences and the rate of growth of the child, a replacement brace may be required. The costs of the second brace are the same.
| Unilateral Club Foot Treatment Contract (DTKAFO) | from £2,910 |
| Bilateral Club Foot Treatment Contract (DTKAFO) | from £4,575 |
| Please note: Depending on the age of the child when LOC’s treatment commenced and the rate of growth of the child a replacement brace may be required. The costs of the second brace are the same. |
Club foot, or clubfoot, is the general name given for a medical condition called congenital talipes equinovarus (CTEV). Congenital means that you’re born with the condition, which can occur in one or both feet. It is quite common, occurring in around one in every 1,000 babies born in the UK.
The affected foot will look like it’s rotating internally at the ankle, with the foot pointing down and inwards. The soles of the feet face backwards. If left untreated, people with club feet often appear to be walking on their ankles or the sides of their feet.
Young babies are naturally flexible, and we can use some of that to correct club foot. There are stages to that process and most cases respond well to correction using the Ponseti method (see question four) followed by a long period of maintenance using what is known as the ‘boots and bar’ approach.
LOC does not carry out the Ponseti method directly. Instead, we see patients who are referred to us or who have already been seen by club foot and Ponseti experts. Typically, we work with patients in that final boots and bar stage. However, we are pioneering the use of a different brace, known as the Cunningham Brace (see question six).
We are the only clinic in the UK and Europe offering Cunningham Brace treatment and we will only proceed if our clinical judgement is that your baby’s condition has been fully corrected by Ponseti treatment.
The Ponseti method involves manipulation and repeated weekly casting for about five to eight weeks. After that, a small procedure called a tenotomy is carried out under local anaesthetic to lengthen the tight heel cord – known as the Achilles tendon – in the back of your ankle. The treatment follows very strict, well-understood protocols and is the gold standard in corrective treatment for club foot. Indeed, the procedure is used and endorsed by Great Ormond Street.
This is the second, long-term stage of treatment, once the Ponseti method is complete. Just as it sounds, this treatment involves wearing a pair of special boots – full time – for the first three months after treatment and then overnight until the child is around four or five years old. Both feet are essentially strapped together, which is an enormous undertaking meaning that compliance is critical for success. While success rates are high, we know a lot of parents find the process very challenging. That’s why we work with the Cunningham Brace.
The Cunningham Brace was designed by Jerald Cunningham, who runs his own clinic in the US. It works using a firm strap around the thigh and a spring that holds the brace up against the bottom of the foot. This means that the brace is always gently stretching your baby’s foot into the correct position, in a similar way that a therapist applies manipulation.
Jerald developed the brace at the request of an orthopaedic surgeon and colleague who saw how distressing the boots and bar process was for many children and parents. Jerald has worked on the design for more than 10 years, tweaking as he goes, based on x-ray evidence after every patient fitting.
At your first appointment we will take measurements and fit your child with their first Cunningham Brace. We’ll show you how to put the brace on and take it off and book you in for a review a week later. We then schedule a series of reviews as your child grows to check progress and ensure that your child is maintaining the correction. This can be done in the clinic or virtually via a system like Skype. There are lots of simple things we can adjust to encourage correct development.
Luca was diagnosed with moderate to severe brachycephaly, a condition where the head is unusually wide and flat. Here, Mum Lauren tells us his story.
From debilitating challenges with foot drop to conquering mountains... New carbon-fibre Ankle Foot Orthoses (AFOs) help this Charcot-Marie-Tooth patient climb Mount Kilimanjaro.
Vacuum bell therapy and custom rib bracing helped to improve Charlie's pectus excavatum chest shape, reducing his sternum indentation from 40mm to 10mm.
Among 14 to 17-year-old cricket players, there is an increased risk of pars stress fracture, or spondylolysis, which can cause lower back pain and reduced mobility. These athletes are at high risk due to their still-developing bones, which struggle to cope with the repetitive stress of fast bowling.
Apprentice orthotist Catherine Hendy’s journey into the world of prosthetics and orthotics began in an unconventional way. After completing a degree in art, she then trained as an orthotics technician, before taking up an apprenticeship to become a clinician. Now, she’s been nominated for the British Association of Prosthetists and Orthotists (BAPO) Student of the Year 2024.
Amelia was diagnosed with tightness in her neck by her GP before her plagiocephaly diagnosis. Clinician Jo Drake treated her with a LOCband Lite cranial remoulding helmet, which improved her overall head shape and asymmetry.
What are lower limb orthotics, and how can they improve mobility and reduce pain? We've put together this summary of the different kinds of lower limb orthotics, from AFOs and KAFOs to more complex orthotics like RGOs, and how they can help patients with their mobility goals.
Barney's very severe flat head syndrome (plagiocephaly) and diagnosis of torticollis led to successful helmet therapy with the LOCband, significantly improving his head shape, going from 27mm asymmetry to 12mm.
