Below-knee plaster cast for the treatment of metatarsus adductus.

Abstract

Sixty-five infants with moderate (37 feet) or severe (48 feet) inflexible metatarsus adductus were treated with a below-knee plaster cast. The deformity was corrected in 6-8 weeks in all cases. At the 2- to 6-year follow-up (mean, 4 years), the correction was maintained in all children who had had a moderate deformity; of the 44 feet with severe deformity that were available for examination, six now had a moderate deformity, and one a severe deformity. All forefeet were flexible, and further treatment was unnecessary. Our results are similar to those for above-knee plaster casts. We conclude that a below-knee plaster cast is effective in the treatment of metatarsus adductus.