3, 4 However, we did not come across any paper that dealt with surgical correction of Claw Toes in Spinal Cord Injury. 2 We found information in the literature regarding the use of Girdlestone–Taylor procedure for the correction of Claw Toes in other conditions like poliomyelitis, myelodysplasia and crush injury of the foot. In an earlier study of persons with spinal cord injury (SCI), 10% were found to have claw toes. The proximal phalanx tends to subluxate in the dorsal direction which results in excessive pressure on the metatarsal head, giving rise to metatarsalgia.
1 The deformity often gives rise to a painful callus on the skin over the interphalengeal (IP) joints and on the tip of the toe. The modified Girdlestones–Taylor procedure for claw toe correction appears to be a safe and effective treatment for patients with SCI.Ī claw toe is defined as one with the metatarsophalengeal (MTP) joint in hyperextension and the proximal interphalengeal (PIP) joint and distal interphalengeal (DIP) joint in flexion. All our patients had good to excellent results, with over 70% of the toes having excellent results. The mean time from injury to surgery was 20.4 years and the mean time from surgery to last follow-up was 37.3 months. The average age of our series of patients was 43.3 years. They were also asked to grade their satisfaction with the surgical outcome. After examination of their medical records, their toes were assessed for pain, residual deformity and stiffness. Nine patients with claw toe deformities to 27 toes were treated at the PRSIC from 1996 to 2005. Princess Royal Spinal Injuries Centre (PRSIC), Northern General Hospital, Sheffield, UK. To evaluate the effectiveness of the modified Girdlestones–Taylor procedure in patients with spinal cord injury (SCI). A combination of review of case notes and outpatient follow-up.