Tarsal tunnel syndrome. A case report and review of the literature.

An illustrative case report and a review of the literature are presented. The tarsal tunnel syndrome is a relatively rare syndrome consisting of pain, paresthesias, and varying degrees of motor and vasomotor changes in any or all three branches of the posterior tibial nerve at the ankle. It represents a pressure neuropathy secondary to intrinsic or extrinsic stenosis of the tarsal tunnel, with a wide variety of underlying causes. The clinical suspicion may be confirmed by electromyography and nerve conduction studies, comparing motor and sensory action potential latency, amplitude and duration to that of the uninvolved foot. Surgical decompression affords the only consistent good results with an 80% to 90% cure rate.