Symptoms Of Friedreich's Ataxia

Clubfoot And Similar Deformities

Many neuromuscular diseases and disorders tend to cause clubfoot and similar deformities, and Friedreich's ataxia is no exception to this. Individuals who have Friedreich's ataxia often experience some skeletal deformities that usually involve the feet, legs, ankles, and toes. Most commonly, these individuals will see very high arched feet or pes cavus, feet turning inward or foot inversions, toe deformities, involuntary toe bending, hammertoe, and clubfoot. Clubfoot is a combination of plantar flexion, exaggerated arch, and inversion that causes the feet to resemble a golf club. This inward turning of the feet happens when the leg muscle and the foot bone connection tendons are very tight and have a lot of tension in addition to being abnormally short. Because these neuromuscular related disorders such as Friedreich's ataxia are characterized by degeneration of nerves and muscles, the resulting skeletal deformities often cannot be fully corrected.

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