Retrospective Comparison of Isolated Haglund's Deformity Surgery Versus Combined With Gastrocnemius Recession

Insertional Achilles tendonitis is a common pathology treated by foot and ankle surgeons that may require surgical intervention. Literature has shown good outcomes following detachment and reattachment of the Achilles for removal of the exostosis. However, there is minimal literature showing the impact of adding a gastrocnemius recession to the Haglund's resection. The goal of the present study was to retrospectively review the outcomes of an isolated Haglund's resection versus a Haglund's resection combined with a gastrocnemius recession. A retrospective chart review of 54 operative extremities was performed: 29 with isolated Haglund's resection and 25 with a Strayer gastrocnemius recession. We found similar decreases in pain between the 2 groups, 6.1 to 1.5 and 6.8 to 1.8 in the isolated Haglund's and Strayer's group, respectively. We found decreased postoperative Achilles rupture and reoperation rates in the Strayer group but this did not reach statistical significance. We found a statistically significant decreased rate of wound healing complications in the Strayer group, 4% in the Strayer group and 24% in the isolated procedure. In conclusion, adding a Strayer to a Haglund's resection was found to have a statistically significant decrease in wound complications. We recommend future randomized controlled studies to compare the use of a Strayer procedure on postoperative complications.