What is Fibrocartilaginous calcaneonavicular coalition?

A coalition occurs whenever bone cartilage or fibrous tissue grows across the joints in your foot. Most commonly, this occurs between your talus (ankle bone) and calcaneus (heel) bones or your calcaneus and navicular bones. There are also other, more rare types of tarsal coalitions.

What is a Talocalcaneal coalition?

Talocalcaneal coalition or peroneal spastic foot or subtalar coalition is an anomalous connection between the talus and the calcaneum that can present with painful and rigid flat-foot in older children and adolescents. The talocalcaneal coalition is part of a spectrum of tarsal coalitions that causes rigid flat foot.

How is Talocalcaneal coalition treated?

Conclusions: A symptomatic talocalcaneal coalition can be treated with excision and fat graft interposition, and achieve good to excellent results in 85% of patients. Patients should be counseled that a subset may require further surgery to correct malalignment.

What would happen if tarsal coalition goes untreated?

What if tarsal coalition goes untreated? Over time, a child, teen, or young adult may experience enough pain that they can’t do the activities they enjoy. Later in life, they may have a very stiff foot (indicating a large coalition). The foot may be so stiff and painful that surgical repair is no longer an option.

What causes a talocalcaneal coalition?

In most cases, tarsal coalition is caused by a gene mutation that disrupts the normal prenatal development of bones in the foot. Less frequently, the condition has been linked to infections, injuries or arthritis.

How common is talocalcaneal coalition?

The two most common sites of tarsal coalition are between the calcaneus and navicular bones, or between the talus and calcaneus bones. However, other joints can also be affected. It is estimated that one out of every 100 people may have a tarsal coalition. In about 50% of cases, both feet are affected.

Does tarsal coalition need surgery?

For children who do experience pain or stiffness, nonsurgical treatments are helpful in most cases. Children with a serious foot deformity related to tarsal coalition will likely require surgery, but most will recover fully within months and have improved motion and pain relief.

How long does it take to recover from tarsal coalition surgery?

The recovery time may take 6-12 months. The success of the resection procedure cannot be guaranteed and is dependent upon a number of factors, including the person’s age, the extent of the connection between the tarsal bones, and whether there is degenerative arthritis in the nearby joints.

How common is Talocalcaneal coalition?

Does tarsal coalition get worse?

In some cases, an injury can disrupt and aggravate a previously non-painful tarsal coalition. A person affected by a tarsal coalition is often flat-footed on the foot in which the tarsal coalition exists. Pain is usually present just below the ankle area and made worse with weight bearing activities.

What causes a Talocalcaneal coalition?

How successful is tarsal coalition surgery?

Overall, the success rates for resection of talocalcaneal coalitions reportedly average about 80 percent.