The Foot
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A stress fracture is caused by repetitive or unusual loading of a bone leading to mechanical failure. Fatigue type stress fractures occur in normal bone exposed to abnormally high repetitive loads, whereas insufficiency type stress fractures occur in abnormal bone exposed to normal loads. ⋯ The diagnosis and management of these cases are discussed. Stress fractures should be included in the differential diagnosis of any patient who continues or develops pain after surgery to the forefoot.
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To conduct an audit of elective foot and ankle surgery in Queensland public hospitals and to compare the frequency of these procedures performed to other states and territories of Australia. ⋯ This is the first reported audit of elective foot and ankle surgery for Queensland public hospitals. Complication rates cannot be directly compared to the literature as this data could only capture complications within hospital admission period. Fewer elective foot and ankle procedures were performed in Queensland public hospitals compared to all other mainland states of Australia during the data collection period.
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Congenital dislocation of the subtalar joint is one of the rarest forms of presentation of a calcaneo-valgus foot. We report the second case of this type published; an 18-month female child aged was seen with calcaneo-valgus deformity of left foot since birth. She was walking over the medial malleolus and medial border of foot. ⋯ At 3 years post-surgical follow up, the child has a plantigrade foot with no functional impairment. Follow up radiographs and 3D CT scan confirmed the maintenance of well aligned talo-calcaneal joint. This type of dislocation should be considered in the differential diagnosis of calcaneo-valgus foot; a clear understanding of the pathology, a precise operative reduction, and long-term use of orthosis results in a favourable outcome.
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Intraosseous lipoma is among rare benign tumors of the bone. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the long-term surgical results of calcaneal lipomas, representing a relatively rare localization for this type of tumors. The present study included 21 calcaneal lipoma cases (22 feet) referred to our podiatry clinic between 1991 and 2001 with complaints of foot and heel pain resistant to conservative treatment for the last 3-6 months. ⋯ Most of the patients would benefit from non-surgical treatments. But if this is not the case, surgical treatment is indicated. In conclusion, curettage and autogenous bone grafting is an easy and effective method for the surgical treatment of calcaneal intraosseous lipomas.
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The use of orthotic heel lifts is proposed in many cases of Achilles tendon disorders as a first-line or conservative treatment. The use of heeled shoes induces a plantar flexion of the ankle joint with a consequent decrease in the tension forces acting onto the triceps surae. The question to address is how high must the heel be? Gait cycle using 1 cm- and 2 cm-high heel lifts was examined. ⋯ A very significant decrease (p=0.0001) was found in the amplitude of the curve expressing the force produced by the whole limb in response to ground reaction forces. This is expressed by a decrease in minimum values, suggesting a lower degree of energy absorption at heel strike, as well as maximum values reflecting the amount of energy generated at push off. This might suggest that by reducing energy absorption by the whole limb a 2-cm heel lift would have a protective effect for those muscles that are most significantly involved in this function, such as the tibiotarsal complex (triceps surae) and the knee complex (rectus femoris).