Ground reaction forces on the plantar surface of the foot after talectomy in the myelomeningocele.

Results of talectomies in 19 patients with severe foot deformities secondary to myelomeningocele were evaluated with an average follow-up of 12 years, 7 months. Although an apparently plantigrade foot was usually obtained, talectomy rarely succeeded in distributing weightbearing forces uniformly over the plantar surface. Photoelastic force-plate analysis incorporating three-dimensional contour mapping clearly identified areas of high ground-foot reaction forces (GFRs) and high-pressure gradients. We suggest that such high-pressure areas predispose these patients to neurotrophic ulceration.