Podiatry

BACKGROUND: Simple neurectomy is a standard treatment of interdigital nerve neuroma after failure of conservative treatment. Recently, neurectomy with intramuscular implantation of the proximal nerve stump has been proposed as a safe and effective alternative method providing significant pain improvement. However, there remains little evidence supporting one technique over the other. The purpose of this study was to compare functional outcomes and complications of simple neurectomy versus neurectomy with intramuscular implantation...

BACKGROUND: Plantar heel pain is a common foot disorder aggravated by weight-bearing activity. Despite considerable focus on therapeutic interventions such as orthoses, there has been limited investigation of footwear-related issues in people with plantar heel pain. The aim of this study was to investigate whether people with plantar heel pain experience footwear-related difficulties compared to asymptomatic individuals, as well as identifying factors associated with footwear comfort, fit and choice...

BACKGROUND: Loss of muscle mass occurs with aging and in lower limbs it may be accelerated by foot problems. In this cross-sectional analysis, we evaluated the relationship of leg muscle mass to foot symptoms (presence or absence of pain, aching, or stiffness), structure while standing (high arch or low arch), and function while walking (pronated or supinated) in a community-based study of Caucasian and African American men and women who were 50-95 years old. METHODS: In the Johnston County Osteoarthritis Project, leg muscle mass was measured with whole body dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry, and plantar foot pressure data, using predetermined values, were used to classify foot structure and function...

Treatment of adult tibiofibular fractures, especially severely comminuted fractures, is technically challenging due to the lack of reduction markers and difficulty in restoring the alignment. Fixation of the fibula can facilitate reduction of the tibia fracture and restoration of the lower-extremity alignment. However, there are few literatures mentioned using intramedullary nail fixation for fibular fractures. Twenty-three cases of tibiofibular fractures were treated with elastic nails fixation fibular fractures and intramedullary nail or plate stabilization tibial fractures between January 2012 and December 2012...

Ankle injuries occur in a predictable sequence, allowing a logical understanding of their classification once the injury mechanism is recognized. The Lauge-Hansen classification system was developed on the basis of the mechanism of trauma and is useful for guiding treatment. Three radiographic views of the ankle (anteroposterior, mortise, and lateral) are necessary to classify an injury with the Lauge-Hansen system. Two additional criteria are also necessary: the position of the foot at the time of injury and the direction of the deforming force...

BACKGROUND: Large comparative studies that have evaluated long-term functional outcome of operatively treated ankle fractures are lacking. This study was performed to analyse the influence of several combinations of malleolar fractures on long-term functional outcome and development of osteoarthritis. METHODS: Retrospective cohort-study on operated (1995-2007) malleolar fractures. Results were assessed with use of the AAOS- and AOFAS-questionnaires, VAS-pain score, dorsiflexion restriction (range of motion) and osteoarthritis...

Haglund syndrome is characterized by chronic posterior heel pain associated with a posterosuperior calcaneal prominence. We assessed the clinical and radiologic outcomes after operative treatment of Haglund syndrome using the central tendon-splitting approach. Fifteen feet in 15 patients were investigated retrospectively after surgery. Of the 15 patients, 14 were males (93.3%) and 1 was female (6.7%). Their mean age was 33.1 ± 8.2 (range 20 to 50) years. The mean follow-up duration was 3.5 ± 1.5 years (range 24 to 90 months)...

The main etiology of ankle osteoarthrosis is post-traumatic and its prevalence is highest among young individuals. Thus, this disease has a great socioeconomic impact and gives rise to significant losses of patients' quality of life. The objective of its treatment is to eliminate pain and keep patients active. Therefore, the treatment should be staged according to the degree of degenerative evolution, etiology, joint location, systemic condition, bone quality, lower-limb alignment, ligament stability and age...

Foot and ankle arthrodesis reliably reduces pain and functional disability among patients with arthritis and deformity. Since its introduction in 1953, improvements in surgical technique have enhanced the outcomes and reduced complications. However, little is known regarding US national trends of foot and ankle arthrodesis. The present study sought to use the most recently available Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data to investigate changes in the usage of inpatient and ambulatory foot and ankle arthrodesis...

BACKGROUND: The modified Broström procedure has been successful for most patients with chronic lateral ankle instability (CLAI); however, a subset of patients has had unsatisfactory outcomes. For those at risk of failure, anatomic reconstruction of the lateral ankle ligaments using a semitendinosus allograft to augment the modified Broström procedure is available. PURPOSE: To report the results of anatomic reconstruction of the lateral ankle with a semitendinosus allograft for the treatment of CLAI...

BACKGROUND: We describe a retrospective study that uses the Broström-type surgical procedure with modifications that augment deficient and torn ligaments with acellular human dermal grafts. At the onset of this study, the most prevalent dermal graft available to us was GraftJacket (Wright Medical Technology, Arlington, Tennessee). Greater than 50% of the study participants were grafted with this product, but more recently other equally effective human dermal grafts have been used with no apparent difference...

BACKGROUND: The analysis of internet search traffic may present the opportunity to gain insights into general trends and patterns in information seeking behaviour related to medical conditions at a population level. For prevalent and widespread problems such as foot and ankle pain, this information has the potential to improve our understanding of seasonality and trends within these conditions and their treatments, and may act as a useful proxy for their true incidence/prevalence characteristics...

BACKGROUND: Surgical repair around the bone-tendon insertion (BTI) may involve bone-to-bone (BB), bone-to-tendon (BT), or tendon-to-tendon (TT) reattachment with varying healing outcome. HYPOTHESIS: The repair of Achilles tendon-calcaneus (ATC) by reattachment of homogeneous tissue (BB or TT) would heal faster, with respect to tensile properties at the healing complex, than those of reattachment of heterogeneous tissues (BT) over time. STUDY DESIGN: Controlled laboratory study...

BACKGROUND: Lateral column lengthening (LCL) is commonly utilized in treating stage II posterior tibialis tendon dysfunction. This study aimed to analyze the outcomes of LCL with porous titanium wedges compared to historic controls of iliac crest autograft and allograft. We hypothesized that the use of a porous titanium wedge would have radiographic improvement and union rates similar to those with the use of autograft and allograft in LCL. METHODS: Between May 2009 and May 2014, 28 feet in 26 patients were treated with LCL using a porous titanium wedge...

BACKGROUND: Foot ulcers carry considerable morbidity in patients with peripheral neuropathy and frequently lead to foot amputation. The purpose of this study was to present our experience treating recalcitrant ulcers underlying the hallux interphalangeal joint in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM)-related neuropathy with a first metatarsophalangeal (MTPJ1) resection arthroplasty. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the computerized medical files of patients with diabetic neuropathy treated with a MTPJ1 resection arthroplasty...

BACKGROUND: Claims of injury reduction related to barefoot running has resulted in interest from the running public; however, its risks are not well understood for those who typically wear cushioned footwear. OBJECTIVES: Examine how plantar loading changes during barefoot running in a group of runners that ordinarily wear cushioned footwear and demonstrate a rearfoot strike pattern (RFSP) without cueing or feedback alter their foot strike pattern and plantar loading when asked to run barefoot at different speeds down a runway...

BACKGROUND: Joint-preserving, realignment surgical procedures have gained increasing popularity as treatment of asymmetric early- and mid-stage ankle osteoarthritis. The aim of the present study was to quantify bilateral gait biomechanics in patients who underwent ankle realignment surgery by supramalleolar osteotomies. METHODS: Eight patients, a minimum of 7 years after realignment surgery, and 8 healthy controls were included in this study. Three-dimensional instrumented gait analysis was used to assess spatiotemporal parameters, bilateral joint angles, and moments...

BACKGROUND: Literature evaluating surgical outcomes after ankle fixation in an active patient population is limited. This study determined occupational outcomes and return to running following ankle fracture fixation in a military cohort. METHODS: All service members undergoing ankle fracture fixation at a single military hospital from August 2007 to August 2012 were reviewed. Univariate analysis determined the association between patient demographic information, type of fracture fixation, and the development of posttraumatic ankle arthritis and functional outcomes, including medical separation, return to running, and reoperation...

OBJECTIVES: Except for traumatic and iatrogenic causes, Achilles tendinitis (AT) is mostly encountered in the context of inflammatory rheumatic diseases. This study aimed to describe AT in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Among 158 SLE patients who fulfilled the SLE criteria of the ACR classification followed between 1980 and 2013, we selected those who experienced at least one episode of AT not caused by traumatic or toxicity factors. RESULTS: Eight patients (one male, seven females), median age 52 years (range: 35-68), presented with 11 episodes of AT within an average of 10...

Unsafe practices are an underestimated contributor to the disease burden of bloodborne viruses. Outbreaks associated with failures in basic infection prevention have been identified in nonhospital settings with increased frequency in the United States during the past 15 years, representing an alarming trend and indicating that the challenge of providing consistently safe care is not always met. As has been the case with most medical specialties, there have been public health investigations by state and local health departments, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have identified some instances of unsafe practices that have placed podiatric medical patients at risk for viral, bacterial, and fungal infections...