Copyright: ©Author(s) 2026. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license. No commercial re-use. See permissions. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc.
World J Orthop. Mar 18, 2026; 17(3): 113562
Published online Mar 18, 2026. doi: 10.5312/wjo.v17.i3.113562
Published online Mar 18, 2026. doi: 10.5312/wjo.v17.i3.113562
Characterizing posterior calcaneal spur fractures in insertional Achilles tendinopathy: A case control study
Kenichiro Nakajima, Center for Foot and Ankle Surgery, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Yashio Central General Hospital, Yashio-shi, Saitama 340-0814, Japan
Author contributions: Nakajima K is the sole author who performed the research and prepared the manuscript.
Institutional review board statement: Ethical approval for this study was obtained from the Institutional Review Board of Yashio Central General Hospital (approval No. YIHCE2022-12).
Informed consent statement: All study participants, or their legal guardian, provided informed written consent prior to study enrollment.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The author reports no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
STROBE statement: The authors have read the STROBE Statement-checklist of items, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the STROBE Statement-checklist of items.
Data sharing statement: CT images of all patients included in this study are stored in the hospital’s medical records. The data presented in this manuscript are kept on the author’s personal computer and are available upon request.
Corresponding author: Kenichiro Nakajima, MD, Center for Foot and Ankle Surgery, Depart ment of Orthopedic Surgery, Yashio Central General Hospital, 845 Minamikawasaki, Yashio-shi, Saitama, 340-0814 Japan. nakajimakenichiro@hotmail.co.jp
Received: August 29, 2025
Revised: October 9, 2025
Accepted: December 19, 2025
Published online: March 18, 2026
Processing time: 200 Days and 1.6 Hours
Revised: October 9, 2025
Accepted: December 19, 2025
Published online: March 18, 2026
Processing time: 200 Days and 1.6 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: Spur fractures were frequently identified in patients with insertional Achilles tendinopathy, more commonly among men. Cases with spur fractures had a longer mean spur length. A spur length of 9.0 mm demonstrated high sensitivity and specificity for predicting spur fractures. Spur fractures may require surgical intervention due to their nature as stress fractures caused by sustained traction forces from the Achilles tendon on the spur.
