National Center for Advancing and Translational Sciences Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center, a program of the National Center for Advancing and Translational Sciences

Talipes equinovarus

Not a rare disease Not a rare disease
Other Names:
Clubfoot; CTEV; Congenital Talipes Equinovarus; Clubfoot; CTEV; Congenital Talipes Equinovarus; Talipes See More
Talipes equinovarus is a congenital (present from birth) condition where the foot turns inward and downward. The cause of this condition is not known, although it may be passed down through families in some cases. This condition occurs in about 1 out of every 1,000 births. Treatment may involve moving the foot into the correct position and using a cast to keep it there. This process is done in small increments over a period of time. In severe cases, surgery may be needed.[1] 
Last updated: 2/27/2014

This table lists symptoms that people with this disease may have. For most diseases, symptoms will vary from person to person. People with the same disease may not have all the symptoms listed. This information comes from a database called the Human Phenotype Ontology (HPO) . The HPO collects information on symptoms that have been described in medical resources. The HPO is updated regularly. Use the HPO ID to access more in-depth information about a symptom.

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Medical Terms Other Names
Learn More:
HPO ID
5%-29% of people have these symptoms
Foot polydactyly
Duplication of bones of the toes
0001829
Patellar hypoplasia
Small kneecap
Underdeveloped kneecap
[ more ] 		0003065
Percent of people who have these symptoms is not available through HPO
Autosomal dominant inheritance 0000006
Incomplete penetrance 0003829
Talipes equinovarus
Club feet
Club foot
Clubfeet
Clubfoot
[ more ] 		0001762
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Last updated: 7/1/2020

Making a diagnosis for a genetic or rare disease can often be challenging. Healthcare professionals typically look at a person’s medical history, symptoms, physical exam, and laboratory test results in order to make a diagnosis. The following resources provide information relating to diagnosis and testing for this condition. If you have questions about getting a diagnosis, you should contact a healthcare professional.

Testing Resources

  • The Genetic Testing Registry (GTR) provides information about the genetic tests for this condition. The intended audience for the GTR is health care providers and researchers. Patients and consumers with specific questions about a genetic test should contact a health care provider or a genetics professional.

If you need medical advice, you can look for doctors or other healthcare professionals who have experience with this disease. You may find these specialists through advocacy organizations, clinical trials, or articles published in medical journals. You may also want to contact a university or tertiary medical center in your area, because these centers tend to see more complex cases and have the latest technology and treatments.

If you can’t find a specialist in your local area, try contacting national or international specialists. They may be able to refer you to someone they know through conferences or research efforts. Some specialists may be willing to consult with you or your local doctors over the phone or by email if you can't travel to them for care.

You can find more tips in our guide, How to Find a Disease Specialist. We also encourage you to explore the rest of this page to find resources that can help you find specialists.

Healthcare Resources

Research helps us better understand diseases and can lead to advances in diagnosis and treatment. This section provides resources to help you learn about medical research and ways to get involved.

Clinical Research Resources

  • ClinicalTrials.gov lists trials that are related to Talipes equinovarus. Click on the link to go to ClinicalTrials.gov to read descriptions of these studies.

    Please note: Studies listed on the ClinicalTrials.gov website are listed for informational purposes only; being listed does not reflect an endorsement by GARD or the NIH. We strongly recommend that you talk with a trusted healthcare provider before choosing to participate in any clinical study.
  • The University of California San Francisco Limb Study is researching the genetic causes of limb malformations. They are looking for participants who only have problems with their limbs, such as fused or webbed fingers/toes, more than 5 fingers/toes, less than 5 fingers/toes, split hand and foot also called ectrodactyly, short fingers/toes, bent pinky fingers, extra long fingers, flexed fingers, club foot, etc. Visit the study’s website to learn more about who is eligible to take part in this study.

These resources provide more information about this condition or associated symptoms. The in-depth resources contain medical and scientific language that may be hard to understand. You may want to review these resources with a medical professional.

Where to Start

  • MedlinePlus was designed by the National Library of Medicine to help you research your health questions, and it provides more information about this topic.

In-Depth Information

  • Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM) is a catalog of human genes and genetic disorders. Each entry has a summary of related medical articles. It is meant for health care professionals and researchers. OMIM is maintained by Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. 
  • PubMed is a searchable database of medical literature and lists journal articles that discuss Talipes equinovarus. Click on the link to view a sample search on this topic.

Questions sent to GARD may be posted here if the information could be helpful to others. We remove all identifying information when posting a question to protect your privacy. If you do not want your question posted, please let us know.

  1. Goldenring J. Clubfoot. MedlinePlus. December 1, 2011; http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001228.htm. Accessed 2/27/2014.