Ponsetí Vives, Ignasi « Biographical Gallery of Catalan Science and Technology

Ponsetí Vives, Ignasi

Menorca 1914 - Iowa City 2009. Doctor, Orthopedist

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Emeritus Professor of the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at the University Hospital of Iowa. He is known worldwide for having developed the Ponseti Method for the correction of congenital talipes equinovarus foot during the 1950s.

Born on June 3, 1914 in Ciutadella (Menorca). The son of a watchmaker, he helped his father repair watches. He studied medicine at the University of Barcelona and went into exile in 1936 two years in Mexico, due to the Spanish Civil War. There he worked as a GP. In 1941 Ponseti settled in Iowa City (USA) where he completed his specialty in orthopedic traumatology. In 2014, despite his advanced age, he continued to visit patients at the clinic that bears his name, Ponseti Clubfoot Clinic located in Sydney (Australia). Dr. Ponseti instructed doctors around the world, developed new orthopedic prostheses and edited the Ponseti Method on DVD.

During the 65 years of professional career he published more than 140 articles of different subjects related to orthopedic surgery, mainly in the investigation of the development and disorders of congenital bone, disorders of skeletal growth in children and about the biochemistry of cartilage. He pioneered, at the beginning of the 50s, in the effect of amino nitrile on collagen, he defined the curvature model of idiopathic scoliosis, and was the first to demonstrate that these curvatures progress after skeletal maturity. He also conducted many studies evaluating the results of treatment for congenital dislocation of the hip, deformed foot and scoliosis.

Clubfoot Day

World Clubfoot Day was introduced in 2013 by the Ponseti International Association and is celebrated on June 3 of each year. This date was chosen after the signing of the Iowa Declaration during the second International ClubFoot Symposium held in Iowa City, Iowa, United States, on October 4 and 5, 2012. The date commemorates Dr. Ignasi Ponseti’s birthday (1914-2009), the developer of the Ponseti Method to treat the clubfoot.

The goal of World Clubfoot Day is to raise awareness about the disability caused by the clubfoot and its prevention through the Ponseti Method, a non-surgical treatment that includes gentle manipulation of the feet followed by the application of plaster of Paris and a temporary splint. Clubfoot is the most common musculoskeletal birth deformity that affects 200,000 children born each year, 80% in developing countries. There are also hundreds of thousands of children and young adults living with this debilitating condition worldwide. The Ponseti Method is almost 100% effective when applied correctly by a trained doctor and is considered the "first choice" treatment that leads to a normal and productive life.

Prizes and honors

1955 Premi Kappa Delta per la recerca en matèria ortopèdica.
1955 Kappa Delta Award for research in orthopedic matters.
1960 Ketoen Gold Medal, American Medical Association.
1966 Commonwealth Fellowship.
1966 Lawrence Pool Award, University of Edinburgh, Scotland.
1975 Shands Lecture Award, Orthopedic Research Society.
1983 International Symposium Ignasi V. Ponseti.
1984 Doctor Honoris Causa, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
1985 Medalla d'Or of Ciutadella, Menorca, Spain.
1988 Honorary Member, Pediatric Orthopedic Society.
2002 American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons – prize for the video on the Treatment of Congenital Talipes Equinovarus Foot.
2003 AOA-Zimmer Prize for the distinguished contribution to orthopedics.
2006 Pediatric Orthopedic Society of North American Award.
2006 Humanitarian Award, Iowa Orthopedic Society James J. Puhl MD.
2006 Medal of Maximum Merit, European Pediatric Orthopedic Society.
2007 Children's Miracle Network Award, Orlando, FL.
2007 Orthopaedic Surgeon. Honorary Doctor of Science. University of Iowa.