Effect of the Denis Browne splint in conservative treatment of congenital club foot.

Abstract

In order to discover whether or not a Denis Browne splint is an effective orthosis in the conservative treatment of congenital club foot, we investigated clinically and radiologically 34 congenital club feet treated with full-time splint wearing after serial manipulations and casts. We found objectively that the correction achieved by the initial treatments was not improved but was at least maintained. However, the age when the splint was applied statistically influenced the changes in radiological measurements. The Denis Browne splint with a well-molded heel is an effective orthosis to maintain clinical and radiological results after initial treatments, especially when it is applied at an early age.