Surgical Treatment of a Symptomatic Diaphyseal Tibiofibular Synostosis in a Professional Rugby Player: A Case Report and Literature Review

Abstract

Context: Diaphyseal tibiofibular synostosis (DTS) is a rare pathology with unknown origin especially occurring in intensive sport athletes. No therapeutic guideline has been well established in the literature. Case Presentation: A rare case of DTS in a 26-year-old professional rugby player has been described. A 5-month exhaustive conservative treatment including physiotherapy and oral medication has been achieved but failed. Management and Outcomes: Following the conservative treatment failure, the DTS has been widely removed including the adjacent interosseous membrane, and the patient could return to competition at the same level after 5 months of convalescence. No recurrence has been revealed at a 35-month follow-up at least. Conclusion: In accordance with the literature data and even if the pathophysiology remains obscure, resection of DTS seems to be the adapted treatment to allow and to reduce professional athletes’ recovery time at the same sport level. The resection including a part of the tibiofibular interosseous membrane could avoid the occurrence of recurrence. Conservative treatment should be reserved for senior patients with a low sport activity.