Arthroscopic excision of the talar Stieda's process

One of the causes of posterior ankle pain is posterior impingement syndrome. When the talar lateral process is long, in which case it is called Stieda's process, it may be impinged between the tibia and calcaneus. We report the case of a 19-year-old patient who complained of posterior ankle pain and was diagnosed with posterior impingement of Stieda's process. He failed to respond to conservative treatment and thus underwent arthroscopic excision. The ankle was approached through standard posterior lateral and trans-Achilles portals. A 4.5-mm diameter 30 degrees arthroscope was used. Soft tissues around the talus were cleared with the help of a motorized shaver; after this, the posterior aspect of the subtalar joint could be visualized. The Stieda's process was seen to impinge between the tibia and the calcaneus in forced plantar flexion. The talar process was removed with a burr until the impingement disappeared. The patient returned to contact sports 8 weeks after surgery. Arthroscopic excision of the lateral process of the talus can be accomplished easily and return to sports is achieved in a relatively short time.