Fracture of the Talus
Definition
The talus is a special bone in your foot that forms your ankle joint. It is the bone in the foot directly supporting the leg – the key bone in the ankle joint, responsible for a many of the movements and the stability in the ankle.
Usually a great deal of force is required to cause fractures or dislocation of the talus. This can include falls and car accidents, as well as high-impact, high-velocity sports like snow-boarding. Many talar fractures are consequently associated with significant injury to the soft tissue (muscle and tendon) and skin. However, sometimes talus fractures occur with only small injuries when the bones are weak, as in osteoporosis.
Fractures of the talus are often difficult to manage. Most of the bone surfaces are covered by a protective smooth substance called cartilage. Cartilage does not allow blood vessels to enter the bone, and this means that the talus has a relatively limited vulnerable blood supply. For this reason, talar fractures are frequently associated with death of the bone, or 'avascular necrosis'.
Talus fractures will often require surgery and long rehabilitation. Severe fracture-dislocations of the talus sometimes require removal of the bone fragments and ankle fusion (arthrodesis) to achieve stability. Symptoms