Bilateral Tarsal Coalition in a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Basketball Player: A Case Report

Abstract

Objective To present a case of bilateral subtalar joint coalition in a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I basketball player and the treatment plan that was used to manage the coalition from the beginning of conference play through the postseason. Background A 20-year-old male basketball athlete (height = 182.8 cm, mass = 83.4 kg) presented with bilateral subtalar joint tarsal coalition that became symptomatic in 2006 and resulted in constant pain with any form of activity. Differential Diagnosis Traumatic injury of the talocalcaneal joint. Treatment Nonsurgical intervention of conservative therapy was elected. Uniqueness Less than 13% of the overall population is affected with tarsal coalition, so it is safe to assume that very few athletes competing at the collegiate or elite level suffer from this condition. This is the first report in the literature to document conservative manual therapies used to manage the symptoms of subtalar joint tarsal coalition in a Division I basketball player. Conclusions After the intensive treatment program for tarsal coalition was implemented, the patient experienced pain relief and was able to continue to compete at a competitive level. This case represents the need to further explore and document a conservative treatment protocol for tarsal coalition.

Functional outcome after the nonsurgical treatment for adolescent spasmodic valgus foot

“…9 The surgical outcome of tarsal coalition was evaluated by many clinical studies with few reports of nonsurgical treatment outcome. 10 Jayakumar and Cowell reported that approximately 25–30% of their patients improved with casting. 6 In the study by Blockey on 30 rigid flatfeet, 2 the results after 2-year follow-up were 2 feet (6.6%) complete cure, 16 feet (53.4%) partial relapse, and 12 feet (40%) complete relapse.…”

Arthrodesis of the Subtalar Joint in a High School Football Player With a Talocalcaneal Coalition

“…In this study, Suits and Oliver used medial arch supports, joint mobilization, stretching, massage, foam rolling, and whirlpool, which allowed the athlete to continue to compete; however, there was no longer follow-up conducted. 9 Other studies mention conservative care by listing physical therapy interventions but fail to provide a protocol or reference evidence.…”

Tarsal Coalition: Surgical Management in the Young Athlete

“…There is scarce information about clinical outcomes of coalition surgery in athletes; studies are mostly limited to small case series or case reports [13,15,38,42]. Elkus [6] reported excellent results in 20 athletes (25 feet) who underwent bar resection.…”