Calcaneal Osteotomy for Intractable Plantar Fasciitis

Plantar fasciitis (PF) is the most common cause of heel pain accounting for 15% of all foot symptoms requiring medical care and 1% of patient visits to orthopaedic surgeons in the United states. The diagnosis is straight forward; the challenge is finding an effective and economic first line treatment. The annual costs of plantar fasciitis are $284 million, that does not include opportunity cost from lost work and wages, societal burden, and psychologic burden. Histologic examination shows myxoid degeneration with fragmentation and degeneration of the plantar fascia and supports being a degenerative fasciitis without inflammation. Therefore, plantar fasciopathy is a more accurate descriptor. Treatment is largely nonoperative, with 85% to 90% of patients experiencing resolution of symptoms within 6-12 months. Partial or complete plantar fasciotomy, either open or endoscopic is indicated only for intractable cases with failed conservative treatment. Fascia release, being the main surgery, sometimes accompanied by complications, one of which is lateral column pain due to loss of the longitudinal arch height caused by the release of the plantar fascia with no consensus regarding the amount of the plantar fascia which should be released in order to relieve pain without causing lateral column pain. To avoid this complication, we need to study the efficacy of calcaneal osteotomy for the surgical treatment of PF. Does the calcaneal osteotomy is an effective alternative surgical treatment option compared to the standard plantar fascia release in cases of resistant PF?