Results after gastrocnemius recession in 73 patients.

Background: Very few studies describe the clinical results and complications following the surgical procedure of gastrocnemius recession.
Purpose: To survey the patient reported outcomes in patients operated with gastrocnemius recession as single procedure for various foot conditions.
Material and Methods: 93 patients operated with gastrocnemius recession as single procedure between 2006 and 2011 were detected in the database. 73 patients responded to the invitation for study participation. Questionnaires containing patient reported satisfaction, complications, plantar flexion power and visual analog pain score were used for evaluation of the postoperative result.
Results: 45/73 (62%) patients reported a good or excellent result. 8/73 (11%) patients reported a significant postoperative complication. 16/73 (22%) patients noted reduced or severely reduced plantar flexion power after surgery. VAS pain score significantly decreased from 7.0 before surgery to 1.8 (p=0.015) after surgery for patients with plantar fasciitis (n=18) and from 5.6 to 2.3 (p<0.01) for patients with metatarsalgia (n=28).
Conclusion: Patients treated with gastrocnemius recession for plantar fasciitis demonstrated good clinical results. The complication rate was higher than reported by others.
(Copyright © 2014 European Foot and Ankle Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)