TARSAL TUNNEL-SYNDROME CAUSED BY AN ANOMALOUS MUSCLE

We report the cases of six patients (seven feet) who had tarsal tunnel syndrome in association with an anomalous muscle that was located dee p to the flexor retinaculum of the ankle. An accessory flexor digitoru m longus muscle was present in six of the ankles and a tibiocalcaneus internus muscle, in one. All of the patients had a release of the tars al tunnel and a neurolysis of the posterior tibial nerve and its branc hes in addition to a resection of the anomalous muscle. The duration o f follow-up averaged forty-one months (range, twenty-eight to eighty-t hree months). Although the pain was reduced in four of the six patient s, only one patient was completely free of symptoms at the time of the most recent follow-up examination. Four of the six patients were sati sfied with the result of the operation.