Tendon Transfers

Deformities of the foot can lead to pain whilst walking and/or difficulty wearing shoes and other footwear. These deformities may occur due to developmental abnormalities, neurological conditions (e.g. Charcot-Marie-Tooth) or injuries to the foot amongst other causes. When these deformities are flexible, non-surgical treatments used can include orthoses or footwear inserts.

Patients may benefit from surgery in the form of one or multiple tendon transfers to help restore function of their foot and ankle. This involves re-routing tendons from their normal anatomical position to a new position, allowing them to re-align the overall foot in an anatomical position. The tendons are fixed to their new position with either sutures alone, or in combination with suture anchors or screws. A period of immobilisation in a cast followed by rehabilitation with a physiotherapist to re-train the muscles for their new function is an essential component of recovery from this type of procedure.

Some typical tendon transfers performed include Tibialis Anterior tendon transfer for cavovarus foot correction, Flexor Hallicus tendon transfer for flatfoot correction or as part of a chronic Achilles tendon reconstruction and Tibialis Posterior tendon transfer for foot drop.