Dr. Jonathon Backus | Foot and Ankle Surgeon | Washington University Orthopedics

Dr. Backus specializes in adult foot and ankle care, and has clinical interests in ankle impingement, ankle instability, syndesmosis injuries, osteochondral lesions of the talus, ankle arthritis, and foot and ankle trauma. Dr. Backus also has a special interest in treating sports injuries in athletes of all abilities. He enjoys working collaboratively with his patients and getting them back to their goals as quickly but as safely as possible.

Common Diagnoses Treated

Achilles ruptures
Achilles tendonitis
Acquired adult flatfoot deformity
Ankle and foot deformities
Ankle and pilon fractures
Ankle arthritis
Ankle arthroscopy
Ankle sprains (low ankle sprain)
Ankle syndesmosis injuries (high ankle sprain)
Anterior and posterior ankle impingement,
Bunions
Cavovarus foot (high arch feet)
Claw toes
Deltoid ligament injuries
Hallux rigidus (great toe arthritis)
Hammer toes
Hindfoot (calcaneus, talus)
Lisfranc ligament injuries (midfoot sprain)
Maisonneuve fractures
Midfoot arthritis
Midfoot and forefoot fractures
Morton’s neuroma
Osteochondral lesions of the talus
Osteochondral lesions of the tibial plafond
Peroneal tendon tears and subluxation
Planaovalgus foot (flat foot)
Plantar plate tears
Posterior tibial tendonitis and tendon dysfunction
Sesamoiditis
Stress fractures
Subtalar arthritis
Turf toe

Common Procedures

Achilles tendon repair
Ankle arthroscopy
Ankle fracture surgery
Ankle fusions
Arthroscopic ankle fusions
Bunion surgery
Calcaneal fracture surgery
Cartiva great toe arthroplasty
Cavus foot reconstruction
Flat foot reconstruction
Foot fusions
Great toe cheilectomy
Great toe fusions
Great toe interposition arthroplasty
Hammer toe correction
Lateral ligament reconstruction
Lateral ligament repair
Microfracture of the talus and tibia
Osteochondral allograft transplant of the talus
Peroneal tendon repair
Pilon fracture surgery
Plantar plate repair
Posterior ankle arthroscopy
Subtalar arthroscopy
Subtalar fusions
Total ankle replacement

Clinical Office Locations

Center for Advanced Medicine at Barnes-Jewish Hospital

4921 Parkview Place
St Louis, MO 63110
Washington University Orthopedics and Barnes-Jewish Hospital

Outpatient Orthopedic Center in Chesterfield

14532 S. Outer Forty Drive

Chesterfield, MO 63017
Progress West Hospital Medical Office Building 1

20 Progress Point Parkway, Suite 114
O'Fallon, MO 63368

Hospital Affiliations

Barnes-Jewish Hospital

Academic Office Mailing Address

Washington University School of Medicine

Campus Box 8233

660 Euclid Avenue

Saint Louis, MO 63110

MyChart Patient Portal

Patient Education

Foot & ankle patient education

Patient Resources

Patient Forms

Click here for patient forms

Contributing author in “Ankle Sprains, Ankle Instability and Syndesmosis Injuries.” Baxter’s The Foot and Ankle in Sports, 3rd ed. In press, not yet published.
Backus JD and Ocel DL. Ankle Arthrodesis for Talar AVN and Arthrodesis Non-union. Ed. Kenneth Hunt. Foot Ankle Clin. Accepted, not yet published.
Backus JD, Marchetti DC, Slette EL, Dahl KD, Turnbull TL, Clanton TO. The Effect of Suture Caliber and Number of Core Strands on Repair of Acute Achilles Ruptures: A Biomechanics Study. Foot Ankle Int. 2017 May;38(5):564-570.
Schon JM, Mikula JD, Backus JD, Venderley MB, Dornan GJ, LaPrade RF, Clanton TO. 3D Model Analysis of Ankle Flexion on Anatomic Reduction of a Syndesmotic Injury. Foot Ankle Int. 2016 Dec 5.
Schon JM, Williams BT, Venderley MB, Dornan GJ, Backus JD, Turnbull TL, LaPrade RF, Clanton TO. The Ankle Syndesmosis Part 3: A 3-D CT Analysis of Screw and Suture-Button Fixation. Foot Ankle Int. 2016 Oct 12.
Clanton TO, Whitlow, SR, Williams BT, Liechti, DJ, Backus JD, Dornan, GJ, Saroki, AJ, Turnbull, LaPrade, RF. The Ankle Syndesmosis Part 2: A Biomechanical Comparison of Three Current Repair Techniques. Foot Ankle Int. 2016 Sep 25.
Clanton TO, Williams BT, Backus JD, Dornan, GJ, Liechti, DJ, Whitlow, SR, Saroki, AJ, Turnbull, LaPrade, RF. The Ankle Syndesmosis Part 1: A Biomechanical Analysis of the Individual Ligament Contributions to Syndesmotic Stability. Foot Ankle Int. 2016 Sep 28.
Liechti, DJ, Backus, JD, Clanton, TO. Joint Salvage Procedures for Failed First Metatarsal Phalangeal Joint Cheilectomy. Accepted Techniques in Foot and Ankle Surgery, not yet published.
Backus, J. In Response: “Upright vs. Supine Radiographs of Clavicle Fractures: Does Positioning Matter?” J Orthop Trauma. 2015 Sep;29(9):e348.
Bogunovic L, Backus J, Wright RW. Stress Fractures of the Ankle (Chapter 12). Stress Fractures in Athletes: Diagnosis and Management. Ed. Kaeding C, Miller T. Springer, pgs 161-169, 2014.
Backus JD, Merriman DJ, McAndrew CM, Gardner MJ, Ricci WM. Upright vs. Supine Radiographs of Clavicle Fractures: Does Positioning Matter? J Orthop Trauma. 2014 Nov;28(11):636-41. Featured AAOS Headline News 11/5/14.
Backus JD and McCormick JJ. “Tendon Transfers in the Treatment of the Adult Flatfoot.” Tendon Transfers and Treatment Strategies in Foot and Ankle Surgery. Ed: Bruce Cohen. Foot Ankle Clin. 2014 Mar;19(1):29-48.
Paxton ES, Backus J, Keener J, Brophy RH. Shoulder arthroscopy: basic principles of positioning, anesthesia, and portal anatomy. J Am Acad Orthop Surg. 2013 Jun;21(6):332-42.
Backus JD, Viens NA, Nunley JA. Arthroscopic treatment of osteochondral lesions of the talus: microfracture and drilling versus debridement. J Surg Orthop Adv. 2012 Winter;21(4):218-22.
Backus JD, Furman BD, Swimmer T, Kent CL, McNulty AL, Defrate LE, Guilak F, Olson SA. Cartilage viability and catabolism in the intact porcine knee following transarticular impact loading with and without articular fracture. J Orthop Res. 2011 Apr;29(4):501-10.
Luk E, Vu ND, Patteson K, Mizuguchi G, Wu WH, Ranjan A, Backus J, Sen S, Lewis M, Bai Y, Wu C. Chz1, a nuclear chaperone for histone H2AZ. Mol Cell. 2007 Feb 9;25(3):357-68.

Research Interests

Dr. Backus' research interests include syndesmotic anatomy and injuries, ankle instability, Achilles tendon rupture treatment, posttraumatic arthritis, osteochondral lesions of the talus, and foot and ankle trauma.

Clinical Interests

Dr. Backus' clinical interests include ankle impingement, ankle instability, syndesmosis injuries, osteochondral lesions of the talus, ankle arthritis, and foot and ankle trauma.

Background

Dr. Backus attended Duke University for medical school, then completed a residency in Orthopaedic Surgery at Washington University School of Medicine. Following residency, Dr. Backus completed a Foot and Ankle Fellowship at the Steadman Clinic. Prior to joining Washington University Orthopedics, Dr. Backus worked in private practice in Colorado.

Board Certifications

Board-Certified, Orthopaedic Surgery

Medical Degree

Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC

Residency

Washington University Orthopaedic Surgery Residency Program, St. Louis, MO

Fellowship

The Steadman Clinic Foot and Ankle Fellowship Program, Vail, CO

Honors and Awards

Graduated Cum Laude with Departmental Distinction, “MeCP2 Promoter Activity during Xenopus Tropicalis Development”
Edmund James Scholar: University of Illinois Honors Program
Cancer Research Training Award Fellowship, National Cancer Institute 2005
AOFAS Resident Scholar, 2013

Sports Team and Event Medical Coverage

US Ski and Snowboard Team Pool Physician

Professional Memberships

American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society
US Ski and Snowboard Pool Physician

Washington University Orthopedics

Jonathon D. Backus, MD