Vitamin D and foot and ankle trauma: An individual or societal problem.

BACKGROUND: Vitamin D deficiency is a worldwide health concern. Hypovitaminosis D may adversely affect recovery from bone injury. The authors aimed to perform an audit of the Vitamin D status of patients in three centres in the United Kingdom presenting with foot and ankle osseous damage. METHODS: Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin-D (vitamin D) levels were obtained in patients presenting with imaging confirmed foot and ankle osseous trauma. Variables including age, gender, ethnicity, location, season, month, anatomical location and type of bone injury were recorded. RESULTS: 308 patients were included from three different centres. 66.6% were female. The average age was 47.7 (range; 10-85). The mean hydroxyvitamin-D levels were 52.0 nmol/L (SD 28.5). 18.8% were grossly deficient, 23.7% deficient, 34.7% insufficient and 22.7% within normal range. 351 separate bone injuries were identified of which 104 were categorised as stress reactions, 134 as stress fractures, 105 as fractures and 8 non-unions. Age, gender, anatomical location and fracture type did not statistically affect vitamin D levels. Ethnicity did affect Vitamin D levels: non-Caucasians mean levels were 32.4 nmols/L compared to Caucasian levels of 53.2 nmol/L (p=0.0026). CONCLUSION: Only 18.8% of our trauma patients had a normal Vitamin D level and 22.7% were grossly deficient. Patient age, gender, anatomical location and injury type did not statistically affect vitamin D levels. No difference between trauma and elective patients were found. Hypovitaminosis D is a problem of society in general rather than specific to certain foot and ankle injury patterns or particular patient groups sustaining trauma. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 2b.

From medical doctor to medical director: leadership style matters.

Leadership is a skill to be developed by all doctors from the foundation trainee to the director of the board. This article explores the impact of leadership style on performance and considers techniques to develop doctors' leadership skills and personal effectiveness.

The management of posterior ankle impingement syndrome in sport: a review.

A literature review has been undertaken to assess the efficacy of management of Posterior Ankle Impingement Syndrome with an emphasis on sport. The evidence is confined to Level IV and V studies. There is a lack of prospective studies on the natural history of this condition and the outcomes of conservative treatment. Dance dominates the literature accounting for 62% of reported sports. Forty-seven papers have reported on the surgical outcomes of 905 procedures involving both open and artho-endoscopic techniques. 81% of patients required excision of osseous pathology and 42% soft-tissue problems resolving. There is a lack of standardisation of outcome reporting particularly in the open surgery group. However, the complication rates are relatively low: 3.9% for open medial, 12.7% for open lateral and 4.8% for arthro-endocopic surgery. Return to sport appears quicker for all activities in the arthro-endoscopic group but comparison of long term outcomes is more difficult with no evidence supporting superior long term results of one technique over another. Soccer players appear to return more quickly to activity than dancers.

First metatarsophalangeal arthrodesis for hallux valgus.

Arthrodesis of the first metatarsophalangeal joint is a reliable operation in the treatment of selected cases of hallux valgus. It corrects deformity of hallux valgus and metatarsus primus varus, leading to good functional results with a low complication rate. It is a technique well suited to patients with hallux valgus associated with degenerative changes or severe deformity, and those for whom primary hallux valgus surgery has failed.

Complications of the treatment of Achilles tendon ruptures.

Since the first reports in the medical literature of treatment of the Achilles tendon, complications have been recognized from both non-operative and operative techniques. These include tendon rerupture, sural nerve morbidity, wound healing problems, changes in tendon morphology, venous thromboembolism, elongation of the tendon, complex regional pain syndrome, and compartment syndrome. This article delineates the incidence for each of these complications, with differing techniques, methods of avoiding these complications and treatment methods if they occur.

Management of the varus arthritic ankle.

Treatment of the arthritic varus ankle presents a significant surgical challenge. The recognition of the causes and associated deformities directs the treatment of the individual patient and optimizes functional outcome. Arthrodesis and total ankle replacement often will need to be augmented by corrective hind- and midfoot procedures and by careful soft tissue balancing. Often multiple procedures are required to achieve the desired result, and patients need to be advised that surgery may need to be staged.

Tibial-stem dissociation in a modular revision total knee arthroplasty system: a comparative clinical outcome study.

Stem dissociation in modular revision knee arthroplasty, due to failure of the frictional lock of the Morse taper, has previously been reported in the literature. The medium-term to long-term implications of stem dissociation are however unknown because the clinical outcomes have not been reported. We report a series of 10 cases of tibial-stem dissociation in the Coordinate revision knee system (DePuy, Warsaw, Ind). At an average follow-up of 8.1 years (range, 6-11 years), there was no detriment to the clinical outcome in 9 cases in which there was a contained bony defect. In one case in which there was a significant medial-tibial uncontained bony defect, there was a failure of the prosthesis, which necessitated re-revision arthroplasty surgery at 4 years. We therefore question whether long canal-filling tibial stems are necessary in all revision knee arthroplasties, particularly when there is a contained bone defect together with optimal alignment and adequate support of the prosthesis, and a non-constrained-polyethylene insert is used.