Background: Recalcitrant plantar fasciitis (RPF) is characterized by its unresponsiveness to conservative treatments, and its surgical management remains controversial. Although there is some evidence to suggest that gastrocnemius recession can be an effective treatment for RPF, no large series of patients with mid- to long-term follow-up has been published. The objective of this study was to compare physical performance, as measured by the Foot and Ankle Ability Measure activities of daily living score (FAAM-ADL), and pain levels before and 1 year after undergoing proximal medial gastrocnemius recession (PMGR) as a treatment for RPF. Additionally, we aimed to assess this cohort of patients in the mid- to long-term follow-up.
Methods: This retrospective cohort study included 167 patients who underwent PMGR to address RPF between 2009 and 2021. Patients were examined with the FAAM ADL, visual analog scale (VAS) and satisfaction scores at baseline, 1 year, and at the end of follow-up. Other variables recorded were weight, duration of symptoms until surgery, time between surgery to substantial clinical improvement, calf power and Silfverskiold test, and postoperative complications.
Results: We observed that before surgery patients had an FAAM-ADL score of 22.5 (SD 11.1) and a VAS score of 8.6 (SD 9.3). One year after surgery, patients had an FAAM-ADL score of 89 (SD 17) and VAS of 1.33 (SD 2) (P < .01). We also observed that the FAAM-ADL score in the long-term follow-up (>12.5 years) group had a median of 86.4 (SD 22.6), the VAS score was 1.90 (SD 2.84), and the patient satisfaction score had a median of 1 (interquartile range 0-1). Regarding complications, we observed 1 lateral gastrocnemius recession and 1 sural nerve neuritis.
Conclusions: Our study provides substantial evidence supporting the use of PMGR as an effective treatment for RPF. The long-term follow-up and large sample size of our series contribute to the existing literature on this topic.
Level of evidence: Level IV, case series.
Keywords: Plantar fasciitis; gastrocnemius recession; gastrocnemius shortening.