Flexion Osteotomy in Genu Recurvatum Following Post-Polio Syndrome: Use of an Old Technique in a New Condition

Post-polio syndrome (PPS) can have devastating functional effects on the walking ability of patients decades after the acute disease. Genu recurvatum, as a consequence of PPS, is one such disability which can be treated through different measures.
A 43-year-old woman with a history of supracondylar extension osteotomy of the left femur at the age of 22 was admitted to our hospital for a flexion contracture of the left knee due to poliomyelitis. She was able to walk without assistance for 20 years after the osteotomy until one year ago, when she started to experience progressive genu recurvatum. In the clinical and laboratory workup, she was diagnosed with PPS. Accordingly, we decided to perform supracondylar flexion osteotomy.
Supracondylar flexion osteotomy in patients with genu recurvatum, as a consequence of PPS, is a valuable treatment, which can relieve the patients'' dependence on walking aids and improve their symptoms.