Calcaneal osteomyelitis presenting with acute tarsal tunnel syndrome: a case report

Cases of acute tarsal tunnel syndrome are rare. To the best of our knowledge, we describe the only reported case of acute posterior tibial nerve compression resulting from adjacent haemotogenous pyogenic calcaneal osteomyelitis.

A previously healthy 38-year-old Caucasian woman developed symptoms of acute tarsal tunnel syndrome in her right foot over a six-day period. No antecedent trauma or systemic symptoms were noted. Magnetic resonance imaging and bone scan imaging, followed by surgical decompression and bone biopsy confirmed a diagnosis of Staphylococcus aureus calcaneal osteomyelitis. Her pain and paraesthesia disappeared after the operation, while her inflammatory markers normalised during a 12-week course of antibiotics. After four years she has remained asymptomatic without any indication of recurrence.

This case is not just unique in describing osteomyelitis as a cause of tarsal tunnel syndrome, because haemotogenous calcaneal osteomyelitis is in itself a rare pathology. We recommend considering infection as a differential diagnosis in patients presenting with acute tarsal tunnel syndrome.