How is Equinus treated?

In addition, the patient is treated for the equinus itself through one or more of the following options:

1. Night splint. The foot may be placed in a splint at night to keep it in a position that helps reduce tightness of the calf muscle.
2. Heel lifts.
3. Arch supports or orthotic devices.
4. Physical therapy.

What is an equinus deformity?

During these periods of rapid growth, muscle contractures can occur, especially equinus deformity. Equinus is defined as the inability to dorsiflex the ankle enough to allow the heel to contact the supporting surface without some form of compensa- tion in the mechanics of the lower limb and foot.

What is Equinus in relation to the foot?

When the ankle joint lacks flexibility and upward, toes-to-shin movement of the foot (dorsiflexion) is limited, the condition is called equinus. Equinus is a result of tightness in the Achilles tendon or calf muscles (the soleus muscle and/or gastrocnemius muscle) and it may be either congenital or acquired.

What is a dynamic deformity?

In comparison, dynamic deformities are related to joint position, muscle function, and lever arm length. Left untreated, dynamic deformities can be- come static, because of either secondary deformities in the bone or fixed joint contractures. One example of a dynamic deformity is functional equinus.

How is Equinus diagnosed?

To diagnose equinus, the foot and ankle surgeon will evaluate the ankle’s range of motion when the knee is flexed (bent) as well as extended (straightened). This enables the surgeon to identify whether the tendon or muscle is tight and to assess whether bone is interfering with ankle motion. X-rays may also be ordered.

Is Equinus painful?

Without clinical research to guide us, we are left with equinus being a potential cause of foot problems. Much like degenerative arthritis or ankle instability may be the cause of ankle pain, in some cases, an equinus deformity may cause a collapse of the arch and medial ankle pain.

What is a dynamic contracture?

Muscle contracture, an invariant physical state of fixed shortening, is not to be confused with muscle contraction, a dynamic, variable state of internal shortening produced by sliding action of actin and myosin filaments. Contracture is promoted by processes that begin with the acute onset of a UMN lesion.

What is contracture deformity?

A contracture occurs when your muscles, tendons, joints, or other tissues tighten or shorten causing a deformity. Contracture symptoms include pain and loss of movement in the joint. If this occurs, you should seek treatment right away. Doctors can treat contractures with medicine, casts, and physical therapy.

What does a positive Silfverskiold test mean?

A positive Silfverskiold test is currently defined as greater maximal passive ankle dorsiflexion during knee flexion than during full knee extension while the foot is held in neutral alignment (Fig. 1). Surgical Techniques of Gastrocnemius Lengthening. Article. Dec 2014.

Can stretching help Equinus?

Stretching is an effective, safe and simple method of treatment for equinus. Equinus is the primary risk factor for the top three running-related injuries for athletes: plantar fasciitis, Achilles tendinopathy and medial tibial stress syndrome.

Why would you use a dynamic splint?

The goal of dynamic splinting is to stress scarred or shortened connective tissue with a LLPS to promote non-traumatic, more permanent tissue remodeling. The lengthened tissue can provide increased range of motion.

Are contractures painful?

What Is a Contracture? A contracture occurs when your muscles, tendons, joints, or other tissues tighten or shorten causing a deformity. Contracture symptoms include pain and loss of movement in the joint. If this occurs, you should seek treatment right away.

What does equinus foot and ankle deformity mean?

An equinus foot and ankle deformity is a condition of the foot and ankle where the foot is held in a downward position; it becomes difficult to pull the ankle and foot up. It is helpful to think of the downward position as “stepping on the gas” and the upward position/movement as lifting your “foot off the gas.”

How does a flexible PES equinus affect the ankle?

In pe s equinus, the plantarflexor muscles and Achilles tendon are tightened, which limits dorsiflexion of the ankle and results in a plantarflexion deformity. 56 For patients with a flexible pes equinus, the footwear prescribed attempts to reduce ankle plantarflexion, reduce the load on the metatarsal heads, and stabilize the subtalar joint.

What makes an equinus deformity different from a contracture?

Equinus deformity is caused by an osseous condition that may or may not have soft tissue involvement whereas an equinus contracture is caused by only soft tissues (eg,tendons,ligaments,capsule,muscle,orfascia).Multiplefactorsmaycontributeto

Can a diabetic have a PES equinus contracture?

Associated with diabetes mellitus (DM) and has been shown to be an important causative factor in diabetic foot ulcers. It is also common in neuromuscular diseases such as cerebral palsy (CP). Often, CP or DM can be associated with an equinus contracture in the Achilles tendon itself.