Should foot surgery be performed for children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy?

The authors conducted a retrospective study to determine the outcome of foot surgery in full-time wheelchair users with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Medical records on all 88 teenaged boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy treated at the authors' institution were obtained and reviewed. Patients completed questions about shoe wear, pain, hypersensitivity, and cosmesis, and a foot examination was performed. There were no significant differences between patients who did and did not receive foot surgery with respect to shoe wear (P > 0.05), pain (P > 0.05), hypersensitivity (P > 0.05), or cosmesis (P > 0.05). Hindfoot motion was significantly better (P > 0.05) but equinus contracture was significantly worse (P > 0.05) in patients who had not had surgery.