Arthroscopic equipment used in the treatment of calcaneal spurs a case presentation

Abstract

Calcaneal spurs are a common cause of heel pain, discomfort and difficulty in walking and in athletic activities. Often they are associated with plantar fasciitis. The first line of treatment is non-surgical, but often this fails. Although many surgeons prefer the open or mini-open approaches, a growing number of orthopedic specialists are starting to use surgical tools initially designed for arthroscopy in order to treat this pathology. The initial technique was developed by a group of surgeons from the Orthopedic Service of Hospital Hermanos Ameijeiras in Havana, Cuba. This technique involves approaching the heel with an arthroscopic camera and a shaver, creating a chamber around the spur, releasing the plantar fascia and using a burr to eliminate the spur. The surgical tools are borrowed from arthroscopy, but the technique is in fact endoscopic. This only proves that the tools and methods developed in arthroscopic surgery can be extended and used in other areas of orthopedic surgery. We discussed the recent international literature, in order to evaluate the number of reported cases, the surgical technique variations and the outcomes. We looked at patient characteristics (age, sex, comorbidities), outcome measuring tools employed (for example the Budiman- Mak foot function index) and results after surgery, including healing time and complications. We aim to draw a conclusion, based on published results and taking into account as many reported cases as available, in regards to the use of arthroscopic tools in the endoscopic treatment of calcaneal spurs.