Webbed toes
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Characterised by the fusion of two or more digits of the feet. This is normal in many birds - such as ducka; amphibians - such as frogs, and mammals - such as kangaroos. In humans it is considered unusual, occurring in approximately one in 2,000 to 2,500 live births.
There are various levels of webbing, from partial to complete. Most commonly the second and third toes are webbed or joined by skin and flexible tissue. This can reach either part way up or nearly all the way up the toe.
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[edit] Diagnosis
This condition is normally discovered at birth. If other symptoms are present, a specific syndrome may be indicated. Diagnosis of a specific syndrome is based on a family history, medical history, and a physical exam.
[edit] Cause
The exact cause of the condition is unknown. In some cases, close family members may share this condition. In other cases, no other related persons have this condition. The scientific name for the condition is syndactyly, although this term covers both webbed fingers and webbed toes. Webbed toes occur most commonly in the following circumstances:
- Syndactyly or Familial syndactyly
- Down syndrome
It is also associated with a number of rare conditions, notably:
- Acrocallosal syndrome
- Apert's syndrome
- Aarskog syndrome
- Bardet-Biedl syndrome
- Carpenter's syndrome
- Cornelia de Lange syndrome
- Jackson-Weiss syndrome
- Fetal hydantoin effect
- Miller Syndrome
- Pfeiffer syndrome
- Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome
- Timothy syndrome
[edit] Consequences
Webbed toes is a purely cosmetic condition. This condition does not impair the ability to perform any activity including walking, running, or swimming. There is no evidence that it improves swimming ability. Webbed toes can interfere with the ability to wear toe rings.
People with webbed toes may have a slight disadvantage for climbing trees with bare feet, or other activities that benefit from prehensile toes.
Webbed toes eliminate the possibility of athlete's foot infections in the affected areas.
Psychological stress may arise from the fear of negative reactions to this condition from people who do not have webbed toes. This may lead some individuals to become extremely self-conscious about their feet and go to great lengths to hide them. They may avoid open-toed footwear and activities such as swimming where their feet may be seen.
In reality, other people rarely notice this condition unless the person with this condition makes a deliberate effort to point it out. Offensive comments from people who do not have webbed toes can be countered by citing the benefits of webbed toes and examples of celebrities known to have webbed toes.
A person who cannot overcome psychological stress resulting from fear of other people's reaction to webbed toes is certain to be insecure about many other factors. Such insecurity may be treated with appropriate counselling.
Reflexologists believe that webbed feet are a sign of genius. This remains unproven.
[edit] Surgery
Webbed toes can be separated through surgery. This should not be considered to be a "correction" because there is nothing wrong with webbed toes to begin with. Surgical separation of webbed toes is an example of body modification.
As with any form of surgery, there are risks of complications.
The end results depend on the extent of the webbing and underlying bone structure. There is usually some degree of scarring, and skin grafts may be required. In rare instances, nerve damage may lead to loss of feeling in the toes. There are also reports of partial web grow-back. The skin grafts needed to fill in the space between the toes can lead to additional scars in the places where the skin is removed.
If surgery is desired, surgeons usually advise postponement until a child is old enough to take part in the decision. Cosmetic surgery on infants is regarded as unethical.
[edit] Famous webbed feet
- Amelia Welch – Australian, Sydney born artist & writer
- Rachel Stevens – UK Popstar, Sclub7
- Dan Aykroyd – US Actor, Ghostbusters, Driving Miss Daisy
- Danielle Panabaker – US Actress, Sky High, Herbie Fully Loaded
- Trish Helfer – US Actress, Battlestar Galactica
- Ashton Kutcher – US Actor, and host of Punk’d
- Josef Stalin (Unproven) – Communist Soviet leader
- Marge Simpson - Cartoon character (It was mentioned in her trial for shoplifting)
- Josh Cowley
- Tien Dinh – Vietnam, ventriloquist, puppeteer, and marionette artist.
