Treatment of any hindfoot deformity should include correction of the deformity and preservation of complex hindfoot motion. This important motion is protective of adjacent, and more removed, joints in that it serves a shock-absorbing function and protects them from stresses. Lateral column lengthening combined with a medial soft-tissue procedure is the treatment of choice for stage II flat foot. Patients who have significant subluxation of the subtalar joint will also need a medial displacement calcaneal osteotomy to correct the hindfoot valgus. Only patients who have a rigid foot secondary to degenerative changes will require an arthrodesis to correct the deformity and provide pain relief. Unfortunately, although fusion works well to correct deformity, it accelerates future degenerative changes.
