American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons Clinical Consensus Statement: Diagnosis and Treatment of Adult Acquired Infracalcaneal Heel Pain

Adult acquired inferior calcaneal heel pain is a common pathology seen in a foot and ankle practice. A literature review and expert panel discussion of the most common findings and treatment options are presented. Various diagnostic and treatment modalities are available to the practitioner. It is prudent to combine appropriate history and physical examination findings with patient-specific treatment modalities for optimum success. We present the most common diagnostic tools and treatment options, followed by a discussion of the appropriateness of each based on the published data and experience of the expert panel.     

Occurrence of Lateral Ankle Ligament Disease With Stage 2 to 3 Adult-Acquired Flatfoot Deformity Confirmed via Magnetic Resonance Imaging: A Retrospective Study

Lateral hindfoot pain associated with stage 2 to 3 adult-acquired flatfoot is often attributed to subfibular impingement. Preoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is generally performed to assess the extent of degeneration within the posterior tibial tendon, attenuation of medial soft tissue constraints, and degeneration of hindfoot and/or ankle articulations. The purpose of this study is to determine the incidence of lateral collateral ligament disease/injury associated with stages 2 and 3 adult-acquired flatfoot. The subjects were identified using a searchable computerized hospital database between 2015 and 2017. Stage 2 or 3 adult-acquired flatfoot deformity was confirmed in patients via chart review and MRI analysis. Lateral ankle ligament injury was confirmed using patient MRI results per the hospital radiologist and documented within the patients’ chart. Inclusion criteria required that patients be diagnosed with Johnson and Strom stage 2 or 3 flatfoot deformity with documented lateral ankle pain and that preoperative MRI scans be available with the radiologist's report. Patient exclusion criteria included patients <18 years of age, patients with flatfoot deformity caused by previous trauma, tarsal coalition, neuropathic arthritis, patients with previous surgery, or patients with incomplete medical records. In total, 118 patients were identified with these parameters. Of the 118 patients, 74 patients (62.7%) had documented lateral ankle ligament injury on MRI. Of the 77 patients with stage 2 adult-acquired flatfoot, 55 (71.4%) had confirmed lateral ankle ligament injury on MRI. Of the 41 patients with stage 3 adult-acquired flatfoot, 19 (46.3%) had confirmed lateral ankle ligament injury on MRI. This study demonstrates a relatively high incidence of lateral ligament disease associated with adult-acquired flatfoot deformity. These findings might have long-term implications regarding ankle arthritis after surgical management of adult-acquired flatfoot.     

ACFAS universal foot and ankle scoring system: forefoot (module 2). American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons.

The American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons developed the Universal Evaluation Scoring System to evaluate parameters related to foot and ankle surgery. The project was developed in four sections or modules. The second of these modules, Forefoot, is presented here.     

Digital Planning for Foot and Ankle Deformity Correction: Evans Osteotomy

Preoperative planning is commonly performed for many foot and ankle procedures. The purpose of the present study was to prospectively determine the preoperative digital planning accuracy of predicting the calcaneal graft size used during the “Evans” calcaneal osteotomy. Preoperative digital deformity correction planning, using a standard planning method (TraumaCad^® software), was performed on 10 feet scheduled to undergo an Evans procedure. Of the 10 patients, 6 were female and 4 were male, with an average age of 43 ± 22 years. Digital planning was used to predict the Evans graft size. The surgeon was unaware of the predicted graft size, which was then compared with the actual graft size inserted during the procedure. In addition, the pre- and postoperative radiographic angles were recorded and compared (anteroposterior view, talo–first metatarsal angle, calcaneocuboid abduction; lateral view, calcaneal inclination angle; and axial view, tibial–calcaneal angle). The average preoperative talo–first metatarsal angle, calcaneocuboid angle, calcaneal inclination angle, and tibial–calcaneal angle measured 21° ± 9.6°, 28.3° ± 9.0°, 13.8° ± 5.7°, and 15.3° ± 8.2°, respectively. The preoperative tibial–calcaneal position was 2.8 ± 1.2 mm. The radiographic weightbearing angles measured at an average follow-up of 7.4 (range 6 to 12) months improved to 6.3° ± 7.4° (p = .0015), 12.3° ± 6.1° (p < .001), 21.3° ± 7.7° (p = .0122), and 2.2° ± 3.6° (p = .0019) for the talo–first metatarsal, calcaneocuboid abduction, calcaneal inclination, and tibial–calcaneal angles, respectively. The final tibial–calcaneal position measured 1.4 ± 0.7 mm (p < .001). The preoperative Evans graft measurement (11.8 ± 2.6 mm) compared with the actual graft (12.2 ± 1.3 mm) placed was within 0.4 ± 1.8 mm (p = .51). Preoperative digital planning for Evans calcaneal osteotomy has been shown to be a valuable tool for predicting the surgical graft size for accurate pedal realignment.