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Chirurgia Del Piede 2009 April;33(1):17-25

Copyright © 2009 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

The shortness of the gastrocnemius muscle: the cause of a lot of complications

Kowalski C.

Médecine et Chirurgie du Pied, Retinne, Belgium

The consequences of a shortness of the suro-plantar system are numerous and, practically, they are often encoutered after an idiopathic retraction of the gastrocnemius which concerns more than half the population, whereas the idiopathic retraction of entire the tricipito-plantar muscular system is rare. The retraction of the gastrocnemius is often encoutered and can be painful in itself; it involves an overload of the forefoot (with all the known deformations - including those of the toes), imbalances the foot and destabilizes the whole body; it has effects on articulations located far above the foot, without counting the reduction in effectiveness by the sportsman, and the reduction in stability and thus in balance. The prevention by lengthening of the gastrocnemius during growth by physiotherapy, carried out during gymnastic courses, should enable an important financial economy. It would avoid many complications and it must also be taken into account by adults, in particular by women, sportsmen and elderly people.