Tibial antirecurvatum osteotomies

Abstract

For the genu recurvatum to be pathological, it must be acquired and asymmetrical. Osteotomies for the correction of genu recurvatum are infrequently required. There are 3 patterns of recurvatum: genu recurvatum with alterations of the bony elements, genu recurvatum with stretching of the soft-tissue elements, and genu recurvatum with bony and soft-tissue alterations (mixed type). A recurvatum knee is inherently very unstable. Active locking of the joint is impossible. This interferes with walking on uneven ground and with sports activities. The correction of a recurvatum deformity could require surgery, which may have to address both a bony and a soft-tissue problem. This report describes a surgical procedure. After a tibial tubercle osteotomy, an anterior open wedge osteotomy is performed to increase the tibial slope. The tibial tubercle is repositioned to prevent a patella baja. Sometimes a complementary surgical procedure should be performed on the posterolateral structures.