Lacerations of the plantar aspect of the foot

The absence of any known reference in the medical literature to lacerations of the plantar aspect of the foot prompted the author to send an questionnaire to members of the American Orthopaedic Foot Society and Association of Bone and Joint Surgeons asking each one to outline his treatment for various combinations of lacerations of the flexor tendons and plantar nerves in a group of patients with varied ages and occupations. To simplify results, only clean wounds satisfactory for immediate surgery were considered. A majority of surgeons preferred primary repair of a lacerated flexor hallucis longus tendon or extensive laceration of all flexor tendons and nerves but were equally divided between repair and non-repair of flexor tendons and plantar nerves of the middle three toes. A majority of surgeons preferred not to repair isolated lacerations of flexor tendons other than the flexor hallucis longus. Most surgeons electing to repair the structures preferred to approach them through the original plantar laceration rather than through an accessory incision in the non weight-bearing portion of the foot.