Congenital limb deformities are congenital musculoskeletal disorders which primarily affect the upper and lower limbs. An example is polydactyly, where a foot or hand has more than 5 digits.

Clubfoot Clubfoot is a birth defect where one or both feet are rotated inward and downward. Congenital clubfoot is the most common congenital malformation of the foot with an incidence of 1 per 1000 births. In approximately 50% of cases, clubfoot aff ...

, one of the most common congenital deformities of the lower limbs, occurs approximately 1 in 1000 births. It can be treated by

physical therapy Physical therapy (PT), also known as physiotherapy, is one of the allied health professions. It is provided by physical therapists who promote, maintain, or restore health through physical examination, diagnosis, management, prognosis, patient ...

, or by a combination of physical therapy and surgery. One class of congenital limb deformities, limb reduction defects, occurs when one or more limbs are undersized or missing parts. The prevalence of these defects in the United States is approximately 1 in 1900 births. This category includes amelia, ectrodactyly, radial dysplasia, and phocomelia among others. These defects are more likely to be unilateral than bilateral, more likely to affect the upper limbs than lower limbs, and are associated with complex genetic syndromes about 10% of the time. A wide variety of abnormalities of the hands and feet, including the nails and the creases of the hand, have been described and differentiated. Many of these abnormalities do not have an impact on function but may be useful in diagnosing genetic syndromes; for example, the

single transverse palmar crease In humans, a single transverse palmar crease is a single crease that extends across the palm of the hand, formed by the fusion of the two palmar creases (known in palmistry as the "heart line" and the "head line"). Although it is found more freque ...

is commonly associated with Down syndrome.

References

Congenital disorders of musculoskeletal system {{congenital-malformation-stub