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Subtalar Joint Instability

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Sports Injuries of the Foot and Ankle

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Abstract

Subtalar joint instability is a chronic functional talocalcaneal instability characterized by a combination of anterior movement, medialization, and varus tilt of the calcaneus. It may result from chronic tear or insufficiency of interosseous talocalcaneal ligament (ITCL), cervical ligament (CL), and calcaneo-fibular ligament (CFL) or as a consequence of acute subtalar dislocation. Clinical symptoms include a feeling of uncertainty during walk on uneven ground, swelling, painful stiffness of the subtalar joint, and diffuse pain in the hindfoot and onto the sinus tarsi. Weight-bearing X-rays including Broden views, CT scan, MR imaging, and arthrography are helpful for the correct diagnosis. Treatment consists of physical therapy directed at the soft tissue envelope and dynamic stabilizers and, if conservative treatment is unsuccessful, operative treatment with anatomical or nonanatomical reconstructions.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery, Campus Bio-Medico University, Rome, Italy

    Vincenzo Candela, Umile Giuseppe Longo, Giuseppe Salvatore, Alessandra Berton & Vincenzo Denaro

  2. Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, Department of Musculoskeletal Disorders, University of Salerno, Salerno, Italy

    Nicola Maffulli

  3. Centre for Sports and Exercise Medicine, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Mile End Hospital, London, England

    Nicola Maffulli

Authors
  1. Vincenzo Candela
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  2. Umile Giuseppe Longo
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  3. Giuseppe Salvatore
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  4. Alessandra Berton
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  5. Nicola Maffulli
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  6. Vincenzo Denaro
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Umile Giuseppe Longo .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Centre of Sports Traumatology Koelliker Hospital, Torino, Italy

    Gian Luigi Canata

  2. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Aspetar Hospital, Doha, Qatar

    Pieter d'Hooghe

  3. Department of Orthopedics, University of Colorado Hospital, Aurora, CO, USA

    Kenneth J. Hunt

  4. Department of Orthopedic Surgery, University of Amsterdam Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam Zuidoost, Noord-Holland, The Netherlands

    Gino M.M.J. Kerkhoffs

  5. Orthopaedics and Traumatology Unit, University Campus Bio medico, Rome, Italy

    Umile Giuseppe Longo

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Candela, V., Longo, U.G., Salvatore, G., Berton, A., Maffulli, N., Denaro, V. (2019). Subtalar Joint Instability. In: Canata, G., d'Hooghe, P., Hunt, K., Kerkhoffs, G., Longo, U. (eds) Sports Injuries of the Foot and Ankle. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-58704-1_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-58704-1_7

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-662-58703-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-662-58704-1

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