Ilizarov-Assisted Healing for a Neglected Non-united Fracture Calcaneus: A Case Report and Literature Review

Although calcaneal fracture is not a rare injury and nonunion is rare, proper management of a calcaneal fracture is mandatory because it can be a prerequisite for long-term functional disabilities of the foot, including posttraumatic osteoarthritis of the hindfoot joint, chronic pain, and persistent...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Curēus (Palo Alto, CA) CA), 2024-03, Vol.16 (3), p.e57011
Main Authors: Ibrahim, Mohamed A A, Gaber, Usama, Elgahel, Mostafa M, Nematallah, Samir A
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Ankle
Arthritis
Case reports
Diabetes
Fractures
Medical imaging
Orthopedics
Osteoarthritis
Patients
Skin & tissue grafts
Wire
Citations: Items that this one cites
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Although calcaneal fracture is not a rare injury and nonunion is rare, proper management of a calcaneal fracture is mandatory because it can be a prerequisite for long-term functional disabilities of the foot, including posttraumatic osteoarthritis of the hindfoot joint, chronic pain, and persistent swelling syndromes. Restoration of axial alignment and joint congruence with careful caution toward soft tissues is the basic principle of treatment; however, few literature reviews to date have addressed the characteristics of a calcaneal nonunion fracture. We discuss a case of a 30-year-old male, manual worker, and diabetic type 1 with a calcaneal fracture reaching the articular surface of the subtalar joint who underwent a simple fracture to a painful nonunion fracture after conservative treatment for seven months before presenting to our hospital being unable to walk with heel deformity. The Ilizarov frame was used to correct deformities in the hindfoot, enhance healing by compressing the fracture site, and allow early weight bearing with the maintenance of subtalar joint function. Our result demonstrates increased calcaneal healing when the Ilizarov foot frame is used, and when the calcaneal fracture site is compressed, this is a good option for maintaining foot and ankle function, even in diabetic patients.
ISSN:2168-8184
2168-8184
DOI:10.7759/cureus.57011