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Philippine teen’s upside-down feet surgically treated

In her 15 years, Jingle Luis has never walked on the bottoms of her feet.

Born in the Philippines with feet so clubbed that they twist backward and upside down, she uses crutches to hobble on what should be the tops of her feet.

“I can accept it,” Jingle said Wednesday in a voice so soft it was barely audible.

But Jingle may not have to accept the condition much longer. She and her mother journeyed to Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx for surgery and follow-up treatment that will slowly rotate her feet until she can walk normally.

The surgery took place Thursday and went well, hospital spokesman Steven Osborne said.

Jingle’s case is more severe than those usually seen by doctors in industrialized countries, said Dr. Terry Amaral, a pediatric orthopedic surgeon who performed the surgery.

Amaral said Jingle’s case was complicated because by the fact that her clubfoot was associated with spina bifida, a birth defect that involves the incomplete development of the spinal cord or its coverings. He said doctors who saw Jingle as a baby thought spina bifida would shorten her life and prevent her from walking, so they did not treat the clubfoot.

But Jingle’s spina bifida is mild. She has normal intelligence and can move her feet and legs.

In Thursday’s procedure, screws were inserted into the bones of her feet and attached to scaffold-like devices that will stabilize her feet while the screws turn bit by bit. Amaral estimated that it would take a month to rotate the feet a few degrees at a time.

The scaffolding will be replaced by casts and then by braces, which Amaral expects Jingle to wear for about a year. Then Jingle hopes she’ll be wearing high-heeled shoes, Jasmine Luis said.

About clubfoot

Clubfoot is relatively common, occurring in about one in 1,000 births, and becomes harder to treat if not corrected early. Children are usually treated in infancy to bring the feet into correct alignment.

SOURCE: BND.com

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