ABSTRACT
Deformities of the foot and ankle that occur very frequently in cerebral palsy include equinus, equinovarus, varus and valgus. Calcaneus deformity is encountered less frequently and this may be seen as a complication of the treatment of equinus. Equinus is by far the most common deformity encountered in the lower limb in cerebral palsy. The deformity may either be dynamic due to spasticity of the gastrocsoleus or a fixed equinus due to a contracture of the muscle. In children with a dynamic equinus who respond favourably to tone inhibition, casting an ankle–foot orthosis may be considered. A rigid ankle–foot orthosis moulded in 10° of dorsiflexion of the ankle is prescribed if there is a tendency for a genu recurvatum. A rigid orthosis may be preferred if there is an associated dynamic varus or valgus deformity as it splints the subtalar joint more efficiently than an articulated orthosis.
