Abstract
The lateral process of the talus plays a critical role in hindfoot function. It is the attachment site for several important ligamentous structures responsible for lateral ankle stability and provides a significant percentage of the talar contribution to the subtalar joint. Lateral process fractures have recently experienced increased attention due to the rise in popularity of snowboarding over the past two decades and the greatly increased rate of lateral process injuries seen in snowboarders as compared to other activities. This rapid rise in incidence has greatly increased our understanding of diagnosis, management, and natural history of the fracture. Historically, these have been an underdiagnosed entity, often being mistaken for an ankle sprain. Though long-term follow-up and a paucity of data exist in regard to management, we advocate operative management in the majority of injuries due to the critical role the lateral process plays in normal hindfoot function. The objective of this chapter is to provide a comprehensive review of lateral process injuries with particular attention paid to operative treatment concepts.
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Sullivan, M.P., Firoozabadi, R. (2020). Fractures of the Lateral Process of the Talus. In: Adams, M., Benirschke, S. (eds) Fractures and Dislocations of the Talus and Calcaneus. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-37363-4_8
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