Participation in sports is associated with foot and ankle injuries; however, one does not need to be an athlete to experience a twisting, impaction, contusive, or repetitive traumatic event. In addition, some conditions are initiated by antecedent trauma; the history…
Fractures of the Calcaneus Intraarticular Fractures Studies in fracture patterns, soft-tissue management, and outcomes of calcaneal fractures have led to debate about the optimal management of calcaneal fractures. Prospective randomized studies have shown equivocal outcomes with operative and nonoperative treatment.…
Deformities and diseases of the toenails are some of the most common and most disabling foot problems. They range from minor annoyances to severe life- or limb-threatening conditions, and abnormalities of the toenails can be a sign of a systemic…
Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome Anatomy and Etiology The tarsal tunnel is a fibroosseous tunnel within the posteromedial ankle and hindfoot in which the tibial nerve, posterior tibial artery, accompanying veins, posterior tibial tendon, flexor digitorum longus, and flexor hallucis longus tendons…
Diabetic Foot Epidemiology The American Diabetes Association estimates that in 2015, 30.3 million Americans (9.4% of the population) had diabetes, with 84.1 million Americans over the age of 18 with prediabetes. The prevalence of diabetes in Americans aged 65 years…
Inflammatory and Degenerative Arthritis Arthritis is a term used broadly to refer to joint pain and subsequent joint destruction, and it often is used to describe several different conditions that have the common characteristic of joint pain and destruction but…
Metatarsophalangeal Joint Instability Etiology Deformity of the lesser toes, particularly of the second toe, sometimes is related to instability of the metatarsophalangeal joint. This disorder, which ranges in severity from synovitis of the metatarsophalangeal joint to dislocation and chronic deformity…
Disorders of the Posterior Tibial Tendon Chronic tenosynovitis (either traumatic, degenerative, or secondary to inflammatory arthritis), loss of continuity of the tendon (either complete or incomplete), and loss of the normal anatomic relationships of the tendon to its insertion or…
Hallux Valgus (Bunion) Hallux valgus (lateral deviation of the great toe) is not a single disorder, as the name implies, but a complex deformity of the first ray that frequently is accompanied by deformity and symptoms in the lesser toes.…
Preoperative Preparation Careful preoperative planning, a thorough knowledge of the pertinent anatomy, good surgical exposure, skill in the use of equipment, and elimination of distraction reduce the likelihood of an undesirable outcome after foot surgery. Careful preoperative planning requires knowledge…