Clubfoot parent support groups or specialists?
Hi community, we are getting ready for the adventure of parenthood for the first time and the rollercoaster has already begun with a unilateral clubfoot (talipes equinovarus) diagnosis at the 20 week ultrasound. Not the worst news possible, but still a little scary and confusing to figure out treatment options and what the future holds.
Anyone know of (1) clubfoot parent support groups in the Bay Area (hoping to learn from parents who have recently been through it); and (2) very experienced clubfoot/Ponseti specialists (we’re with Kaiser but seeking a second opinion)?
We don’t know anyone who has been through this so very keen to find some local support and connections!
Aug 8, 2025
Parent Replies
Hi! We got the same diagnosis at our 20-week ultrasound, and our son was born in May.
We also have Kaiser and worked with Dr. Kaiser for his casting. He’s now in the 23-hour boots-and-bar phase.
We didn’t find a Bay Area support group, but we’d be happy to connect and share our experience if you’d like to chat. It felt really scary when we first found out, but everything has turned out just fine
Hi, sorry to hear you are going down this road. It is very stressful. We had the same finding on our 20 week ultrasound last year. I believe Oakland Children’s Hospital has support groups for parents. Dr. Colleen Sabatini and her colleagues. I don’t want to give you false hope But we were one of the rare lucky ones who ended up not actually having clubfoot. It was just the way the foot was positioned in utero. The ultrasound technology isn’t always as advanced as we hope. Good luck to you on your journey.
Hi,
I'm not aware of any local support groups but I've found that Clubfoot Support Group and others on Facebook were quite useful. Our daughter (who is 2 now) was diagnosed with unilateral clubfoot a couple of weeks after birth, and we've been through the journey of serial casting + night-time braces. Feel free to DM me with any questions!
One quick tip I have would be to look into ADM braces once your child is a bit older. Ours was on the milder side and unilateral so we received the greenlight from our doctor (we're with UCSF) to switch to ADM braces (https://kiddfoot.com/adm-modular-system), which are quite expensive and not always covered by insurance BUT was a life-saver once our daughter got older / more mobile and protested the Ponsetti shoes (which, while still the golden standard, are quite outdated and cumbersome for the child).
Dr. Mitzi Williams, who is a well known DPM that used to practice at Kaiser Oakland might be a great resource for your family and could direct you to local professionals that she knows personally and professionally. She has also published books for kids about the journey. https://paleyinstitute.org/mitzi-williams-dpm/
We have a 12 year old who had a club foot identified at the 20 week ultrasound. We did all our treatment back east but just wanted to tell you it will all be ok! Those first few months with the casting and then the boots and bar are such a blur now. Our kid has no memory of his boots and bar, and you'd never know what he went through as a little guy! Biggest suggestion we got that helped was baby leg warmers and onesies! And a pool noodle over the bar to help with sleep. Good luck!!
Congratulations on your little one! We went through this exact thing with our first. He’s now about to turn 4 and we are done with treatment; you’d never know he was born with clubfoot. Good on you for starting to prep and get resources lined up. You’ve got this!
The best support group I found was the Clubfoot Community of California Facebook group. I’m someone who barely uses FB, but the group was a really wonderful place to get localized advice on best doctors and tips for what to do when, for example, your baby pees on their cast (answer: whip out the blow dryer!) I also found it less overwhelming than the national group.
As to specialists, we saw Dr. Frick at Stanford but unfortunately he moved East last year to be closer to his grown kids (one of whom had clubfoot). We still get semi-annual checkups with his team, though; I imagine you could easily find out who took over his practice and what the FB group’s thoughts on that doc are.
Some unsolicited advice: as you note, the diagnosis is treatable and could be much worse. But I still found myself getting bummed about small, iconic baby things that we missed out on, like not being able to put my baby in footie pajamas. Let yourself have those moments, then look for fun alternatives: colorful leg warmers for the cast phase (they serve double duty to ward against pee, see above), and themed bar covers (sold on Etsy).
Feel free to DM me, I’m happy to chat further!