Approximately 80 percent of babies with clubfoot will need to undergo a surgery called a tenotomy. No one likes to think of their tiny baby having surgery, but this is actually a fairly minor procedure. Many orthopedic surgeons use a numbing cream and do the procedure right in the room; it’s over in a matter of minutes. Others opt to put the baby under anesthesia. This procedure involves clipping the Achilles tendon (it will actually grow back, lengthened!). The goal is to give your baby dorsiflexion, so he or she can move the foot up and down better.
*How to prepare for a tenotomy:
Your orthopedic surgeon may recommend giving your baby infant Tylenol prior to the procedure and then every few hours for the next couple of days. Other than that, know that it’s okay to experience nerves and jitters. No parent wants their baby to have to undergo any kind of procedure. Just take some deep breaths and be ready to give your sweet baby lots of love and cuddles afterward. It will be over before you know it (but that doesn’t make it any easier at the time). We stayed in the room for the procedure. My husband watched. I didn’t … I just held our baby’s hands, put my face close to hers, and tried to soothe her by talking to her. She screamed and cried, but it was over within minutes, and she fell asleep right afterward.
*How to prepare for a tenotomy:
Your orthopedic surgeon may recommend giving your baby infant Tylenol prior to the procedure and then every few hours for the next couple of days. Other than that, know that it’s okay to experience nerves and jitters. No parent wants their baby to have to undergo any kind of procedure. Just take some deep breaths and be ready to give your sweet baby lots of love and cuddles afterward. It will be over before you know it (but that doesn’t make it any easier at the time). We stayed in the room for the procedure. My husband watched. I didn’t … I just held our baby’s hands, put my face close to hers, and tried to soothe her by talking to her. She screamed and cried, but it was over within minutes, and she fell asleep right afterward.