Oct 5–11, 2026 · 2 randomized trials, 9 new studies, 4 reviews · Foot & Ankle archive · All weeks
The new Foot & Ankle research The Reduction sent the week of Oct 5–11, 2026, with the week’s most recent reviews, each with a one-line summary.
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Outcomes Following Early Weight Bearing in Syndesmotic Injuries: A Randomized Controlled Trial.RCT
In this Level I RCT of syndesmotic fixation with a suture button, weight bearing at 2 weeks was noninferior to 6 weeks, with no difference in reduction loss, scores, or complications, though early weight bearing caused more pain at 2 weeks.
In 24 female volleyball players with chronic ankle instability, 8 weeks of stroboscopic balance training improved static balance and perceived ankle stability more than traditional training, while other measures improved similarly.
Ankle cartilage damage, often posttraumatic, can progress to end-stage osteoarthritis with a major disease burden in young patients; evidence on nonoperative and early treatment is weak, and earlier recognition and intervention may improve long-term outcomes.
In a retrospective cohort of 141 patients, mini fragment T-plate fixation of medial malleolar fractures had infection, reoperation, and nonunion rates comparable to small fragment screws, supporting it as an alternative when fragment size limits two-screw fixation.
When legal reasoning contradicts sports orthopaedic evidence.
ICCRA statement criticizes an English High Court ruling linking ankle arthroscopy during fracture fixation to a footballer's arthritis, arguing it contradicts evidence that posttraumatic arthritis follows the fracture itself and arthroscopy is standard care.
After medializing calcaneal osteotomy for flexible flatfoot, children still showed higher arch index and more external foot rotation than matched controls, despite balanced plantar loading and similar stance timing; higher BMI independently raised arch index.
This commentary argues the 2025 consensus review on navicular fractures in elite athletes contains errors, including a unit-conversion mistake: mean return to sport after surgery is about 19.7 weeks, not 8.2, along with eligibility-criteria discrepancies.
In 160 feet with Müller-Weiss disease, only 47.5% showed hindfoot varus on Saltzman views, so varus is not universal and alignment should be assessed directly before planning treatment.
Is Hemiepiphysiodesis Enough? Evaluating Growth Modulation in Juvenile Hallux Valgus.
In 20 feet with juvenile hallux valgus, lateral first metatarsal hemiepiphysiodesis gave modest correction, residual deformity persisted in 80%, and 30% needed reoperation, making it a temporizing option at best.
In 42 patients with refractory hallux sesamoid pathology, sesamoidectomy improved pain and function scores at about two years, including in athletes, though larger long-term studies are needed.
In matched AO/OTA 43C pilon fractures, tibiotalocalcaneal nailing and ORIF showed no detectable difference in infection, reoperation, nonunion, or amputation, supporting nailing as a limb salvage option in severe cases.
Calcaneus Fractures: A Review of Management, Treatment, and Recent Advances.
Review of calcaneus fracture management noting that sinus tarsi and percutaneous approaches allow earlier surgery with fewer complications, with surgical goals of restoring hindfoot morphology and facet congruity.
Current concepts of fourth-generation minimally invasive and open hallux valgus surgery.
Review finds minimally invasive and open (Scarf/Akin) hallux valgus surgery give similar outcomes, with MIS offering smaller scars and less early pain, but evidence is mostly single-surgeon series and recurrence remains a challenge.
Reviews how PRP is prepared (with wide protocol variability) and appraises five years of evidence for its use in plantar fasciitis, Achilles pathology, talar osteochondral lesions, hallux rigidus, and ankle arthritis.
Gastrocnemius Recession in the Setting of Metatarsalgia: The Baumann Procedure.
Describes gastrocnemius contracture as a driver of forefoot overload in metatarsalgia and supports evaluating for it and considering the Baumann gastrocnemius recession, alone or combined with other procedures.
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