ANALYSIS OF FUNCTIONAL OUTCOME OF SURGICAL DECOMPRESSION OF CHRONIC RETROCALCANEAL BURSITIS

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Haglund deformity is a common cause of posterior heel pain and consists of a constellation of soft tissue and osseous abnormalities. The treatment starts with conservative approach and ends with surgical treatment in case conservative treatment fails and the symptoms are bothersome. Different surgical procedures and approaches have been used for this deformity. In this study we evaluated the clinical and functional outcome of osteotomy of the calcaneal tuberosity with debridement of the retrocalcaneal bursa and the Achilles tendon using a lateral approach at our institute METHODS: This prospective study consists of 15 heels (5 men, 10 women) with mean age of 40 years who were operated at Vinayaga mission medical college and hospital ,karaikal from June 2019 to May 2020 with posterior heel pain, who did not respond to conservative treatment and underwent surgical decompression of the retrocalcaneal bursae and excision of bony spurs. The functional outcome was evaluated by comparing the pre and postoperative American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) scores and VAS score at 6th month and one year follow up RESULTS: All patients were followed up for at least 12 months. AOFAS scores showed significant improvement at 6th months & one year follow up . 1 out of 15 operated feet had superficial surgical site infection in the postoperative period that responded to antibiotic therapy and regular dressings CONCLUSION: Open surgical decompression is a safe and effective technique. We conclude lateral approach to debridement and calcaneal tuberosity resection is an effective method with good clinical and functional outcome in patients with refractory Haglund deformity