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Surgery for retrocalcaneal bursitis: a tendon-splitting versus a lateral approach
John A Anderson1, Eduardo Suero, Padhraig F O'Loughlin
1Department of Foot and Ankle Surgery, Hospital for Special Surgery, 523 East 72nd Street, New York, NY 10021, USA.
Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research
|May 10, 2008
Summary
The tendon-splitting approach for Haglund's syndrome surgery offers quicker recovery than the lateral approach. Both surgical methods effectively relieve pain from retrocalcaneal bursitis.
Area of Science:
- Orthopedic Surgery
- Foot and Ankle Surgery
- Sports Medicine
Background:
- Refractory retrocalcaneal bursitis, often associated with Haglund's syndrome, presents a challenge in defining the optimal surgical treatment.
- Surgical interventions aim to relieve pain and restore function, but comparative data on different approaches are limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the efficacy of the tendon-splitting approach versus the lateral approach for calcaneal ostectomy in patients with Haglund's syndrome.
- To evaluate pain relief and return to function following these two surgical techniques.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective comparative study involving Level III evidence.
- Comparison of 30 patients (31 feet) undergoing the tendon-splitting approach with 32 previous patients (35 feet) who had a lateral incision.
- Assessment of outcomes using the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) score and the Short Form-36 (SF-36) physical component score, with minimum follow-up of 12 months.
Main Results:
- Both the tendon-splitting and lateral approaches resulted in significant improvements in AOFAS scores and provided symptomatic pain relief.
- Patients in the tendon-splitting group demonstrated a quicker median return to normal function (4.1 months) compared to the lateral group (6.4 months).
- SF-36 physical component scores were comparable between the two groups postoperatively.
Conclusions:
- Both calcaneal ostectomy approaches effectively alleviate pain in patients with refractory retrocalcaneal bursitis.
- The tendon-splitting approach appears to facilitate a faster return to normal function compared to the lateral approach for Haglund's syndrome treatment.
