Squatting Facets and Trochlear Extensions on the Neck of Talus in Modern North-Eastern Nigerians

Squatting is a resting postural complex that involves hyper-flexion at the hip and knee joints, and hyper-dorsiflexion at the ankle and subtalar joints. There are anatomical variations in talar trochlear extensions across gender, populations and races and the evaluation of these structural variations is very significant to anatomists and physical anthropologists. The aim of this study was to investigate the occurrence of talar modifications in a Nigerian population. This study involved a sample size of 119dry tali of late adult Nigerians in the North-Eastern region in the year 2000. The tali were gotten from adult skeletal collections in the gross laboratories and museums of the medical colleges located in the study region. Parameters measured were lateral, medial and continuous trochlear extensions as well as the various squatting facets respectively, using vernier caliper calibrated in centimeters. The outcome showed that lateral squatting facets occurred most frequently (46.2%) and medial facets (15.9%) but the combined facets (0.8%) were also observed. Lateral (29.4%), medial (17.6%). Combined (lateral and medial) (6.9%) and continuous lateral/central/medial extensions (10.0%) of the trochlear surface were all present in the late Nigerian population. The result obtained from the present study was also compared with those obtained from previous study in different populations around the world. Therefore, it is unlikely that precisely the same factor determine the expression of squatting facets and trochlear extensions.

Key Words: Squatting Facet, Trochlear extension, Talus, North-eastern, Nigerians