Background: The study aimed at finding whether there are any nail changes specific to treatment in clubfoot.
Methods: Sixty new, 26 undergoing serial corrective casting, and 247 clubfoot patients using foot abduction braces were prospectively studied. The casted and braced group formed the basis of the study to observe nail changes, if any. The new patients and opposite normal foot (in unilateral casted cases) were taken as controls.
Observations: Acute paronychia, ingrown toe nail, onychoshizia, onychorrhexis, nail plate concavity, latent onychomadesis, and distal onycholysis were observed in feet undergoing corrective casting and bracing. Micronychia, malalignment and thinning of nail plate were the observed congenital nail anomalies.
Conclusions: Nail changes in clubfeet are not infrequent. Certain nail changes might be etiologically linked to casting and bracing. Some of nail changes might require urgent medical care.
Keywords: CTEV; Nail changes; cast; clubfoot.
Copyright © 2015 European Foot and Ankle Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.