Rearfoot and Ankle Reconstruction for Charcot Joint Disease: A Review

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Gabriel Santamarina, Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2020
• Publisher: Scientific Archives
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © 2020 Santamarina G.
• License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Final Published Version (URL): https://doi.org/10.33696/Orthopaedics.1.002
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Archives of Orthopaedics
• Volume: 1
• Issue: 1
• Start Page: 5
• End Page: 10
• Keywords: foot and ankle; debilitation; joint; Charcot joint disease; skeleton structure; degredation; bone
• Research Categories: Biology, Anatomy

Abstract

Charcot joint disease is a condition of degradation in bones and joints that is severely debilitating to the foot and ankle structure and function. The breakdown in bony architecture causes predictable foot ulcers, such as at the plantar aspect of the fifth or first metatarsal heads. These ulcers may progress to osteomyelitis, which combined with loss of foot structure, makes below-knee amputation an option, albeit a suboptimal one. The goal of rearfoot reconstruction, therefore, is to rebuild the architecture of the foot so it may once again proceed through the gait cycle with low risk of osteomyelitis.