This baby's feet are a bit special-did you notice?
Before surgery
Yes, the baby had polydactyly on both feet. The extra toe on the left foot contained bone, while the extra toe on the right foot was only a small soft tissue nub.
In this situation, the parents strongly hoped to remove the extra toes as early as possible. The extra toe on the left foot had already begun to squeeze the adjacent toes, making it difficult for the child to walk and impossible to find properly fitting shoes.
Generally speaking, if a child has good cardiopulmonary function, weighs more than 6 kg, and is around 6–8 months old, surgery can be performed. The procedure is relatively routine: the extra toes on both feet are removed in a single operation. Not long after surgery, the child recovered very well. The overall appearance and contour of the feet became harmonious. The parents said it no longer affected the child's walking, which finally eased their long-standing worries.
Left foot: 17 days after surgery
Right foot: 17 days after surgery
At the 3-month postoperative follow-up, the child's feet had fully adapted. Wearing shoes and walking were no longer a problem. Surgery for polydactyly of the toes is relatively uncomplicated. After recovery, the child can practice walking normally, and at night, parents can help by having the child wear toe-separating socks as assistance.
3 months after surgery
For most babies with polydactyly, the key during recovery is to avoid weight-bearing on the feet. Routine care is sufficient, so parents do not need to be overly anxious or deliberately pursue additional rehabilitation therapy.
That's how polydactyly of the feet is. If left untreated, it can lead to problems that are difficult for both parents and children to resolve-such as shoe friction, difficulty wearing shoes, and psychological self-esteem issues. However, with surgical intervention and proper postoperative care, once the child recovers, the improvement-both in appearance and function-can be truly meaningful for the child.