Surgical Treatment of Bone Marrow Lesion Associated with Recurrent Plantar Fasciitis: A Case Report Describing an Innovative Technique Using Subchondroplasty®.

Plantar fasciitis is one of the most common chief complaints seen in the foot and ankle clinic. With a relatively benign course, most cases are self-limiting or amendable to conservative therapy; ~90% of all plantar fasciitis cases will respond to these methods. When conservative treatment and time fail, surgical intervention can be necessary to improve outcomes. We present a novel method using Subchondroplasty® (SCP®; Zimmer Holdings, Inc.; Warsaw, IN) and revision fasciotomy in a case in which initial fasciotomy had failed. After the patient had failed to improve, a worsening underlying bone marrow lesion was identified at the origin of the plantar fascia; thus, SCP® was used with repeat fasciotomy. SCP® involves injecting calcium phosphate into bone marrow lesions to stimulate long-term bone repair. At 10 months after SCP®, the patient remained pain free and had returned to running at the final follow-up examination. This surgical treatment should be considered as an adjunctive procedure for those patients with plantar fasciitis, identifiable bone marrow lesions on magnetic resonance imaging, and continued pain when other treatment modalities have failed.

The Use of Particulated Juvenile Allograft Cartilage in Foot and Ankle Surgery.

Particulated juvenile allograft cartilage (PJAC) has significant promise and is currently supported by several studies. Potential benefits of this new technique include single-stage procedure, simplicity in the surgical technique, implantation of juvenile tissue, and a lack of donor site morbidity. This article discusses the imaging, surgical options, and postoperative management of PJAC.

Osteochondral Autograft and Allograft Transplantation in the Talus.

Large, symptomatic, focal chondral, and osteochondral lesions of the ankle are treated with osteochondral autograft/allograft transplantation (OAT) procedure, a reconstructive bone grafting technique that uses one or more cylindrical osteochondral grafts from an area of low impact or allograft source and transplants them into the prepared defect site on the talus. This technique allows defects to be filled with mature, hyaline articular cartilage. Acute or chronic chondral or osteochondral lesions can be debilitating; provided here is a review of osteochondral autograft or allograft transplantation. OAT shows a trend toward greater longevity and durability and improved outcomes in high-demand patients.

Advances in Ankle Cartilage Repair.

Repair of osteochondral lesions of the talus can be difficult. Smaller lesions respond well to simple arthroscopy and microfracture, whereas larger cystic lesions may require allograft talus replacement or ankle fusions. The lesions in between are more difficult to treat. Autologous chondrocyte implantation and matrix-associated autologous chondrocyte implantation have shown promising results. Future research may include new techniques, pharmacologic intervention, and cell-based therapies, and may be better served with prospective observational studies instead of costly randomized controlled studies. A representative example of arthroscopic implantation is given.

Rare Presentation of a Marjolin's Ulcer Secondary to a Post-Traumatic Injury.

Marjolin's ulcer is a rare and aggressive cutaneous malignancy arising from previously traumatized skin, most commonly at the site of previous burns. We present a unique case of Marjolin's ulceration secondary to an orthopedic injury and a nonburn history of trauma. The patient had been involved in a motorcycle accident >20 years earlier. For 17 months, the patient had refused to acknowledge the severity of his disease state. He had refused the standard of care and opted for local wound care only until a minor fall caused a pathologic fracture, leading to an above the knee amputation. Road traffic incidents remain an uncommon cause of subsequent Marjolin's transformation in developed countries. As such, we present the case of a patient with a unique combination of a continued lack of compliance after diagnosis and the unusual cause of his initial trauma.

Effect of Vibram FiveFingers Minimalist Shoes on the Abductor Hallucis Muscle.

BACKGROUND: This study investigated the effect of Vibram FiveFingers Bikila minimalist shoes on intrinsic foot musculature. We hypothesized that a gradual transition into minimalist shoes will increase the thickness of the abductor hallucis muscle. METHODS: Forty-one individuals were divided into four groups: control (traditional shod) (n = 9), restricted walking in Vibram FiveFingers (n = 11), running in Vibram FiveFingers (n = 10), and unlimited walking in Vibram FiveFingers (n = 11). At baseline, 12 weeks, and 24 weeks, the thickness of the abductor hallucis muscle was determined using ultrasound. Statistical analysis was performed to determine the significance of differences in muscle thickness at the three different time points. RESULTS: The mean thickness of the abductor hallucis muscle at 24 weeks was significantly greater than that at baseline for the restricted walking (P = .005) and running (P < .001) groups. In the unlimited walking group, the mean thickness of the muscle at 12 weeks was significantly greater than that at baseline (P < .05) but not at 24 weeks. There were no significant differences in muscle thickness among the three time points for the control group (P = .432). CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated that wearing Vibram FiveFinger Bikila footwear over a controlled period of time, an unlimited amount of time, as well as transitioning runners over a 6-month period of time using the 10% philosophy for increasing mileage, significantly increases intrinsic muscle thickness of the abductor hallucis. The abductor hallucis muscle aids in support of the medial longitudinal arch, and an increase in this muscle thickness may help reduce running-related injuries thought to arise from arch weakness.