Osteological Study of Calcaneal Morphometry

Background: The calcaneus is the largest tarsal bone and plays a crucial role in weight-bearing and locomotion. Variations in its morphology and morphometric parameters are important in understanding foot biomechanics and have significant clinical implications in orthopaedics and reconstructive surgery. The aim is to analyse the morphometry and classify calcanei based on the pattern of talar articular facets.Material and Methods: This descriptive osteological study was conducted on 50 dry human calcanei obtained from the Department of Anatomy, BGS GIMS. Damaged or deformed bones were excluded. The calcanei were classified according to Vučinić N et al. (2020). Morphometric parameters including maximum calcaneal length (MCL), maximum calcaneal height (MCH), maximum calcaneal width (MxCW), minimum calcaneal width (MnCW), cuboidal facet height (CFH), and width of sulcus calcanei (WSC) were measured using a digital vernier caliper. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics. Results: Out of 50 calcanei, 22 (44%) were right-sided and 28 (56%) were left-sided. Type I calcanei were the most common (58%), followed by Type II (34%) and Type III (8%). The mean values recorded were: MCL 75.06 mm, MCH 42.92 mm, MxCW 41.22 mm, MnCW 25.80 mm, CFH 21.78 mm, and WSC 6.14 mm. Conclusion: The present study demonstrates the predominance of Type I calcanei and provides essential morphometric data that may aid in surgical planning, management of hindfoot deformities, and rehabilitation procedures.

Keywords: Calcaneus; Morphometry; Talar facets; Osteology; Classification.