Early Splinting Techniques Humans have never been immune from injury, and doubtless the practice of bonesetting was not unfamiliar to our most primitive forebears. Indeed, given the known skills of Neolithic humans at trepanning the skull, it would be surprising…
Introduction Background Symptomatic cartilage defect in a young patient is a difficult problem to treat. Several options for biologic treatment have been described, but each of them has its own limitations. For example, the use of cylindrical allograft transplants (single…
General Principles History Amputation is no longer only the result of traumatic amputation or the real or perceived failure of limb salvage. Rather, amputation is now considered a viable and reasonable treatment option for extensively injured extremities and as such…
The management of traumatic limb-threatening injuries, especially to the lower extremity, remains a controversial topic in the orthopaedic literature. During recent years, there have been tremendous technical developments in protective gear for the head and chest, improvements in prehospital care…
Lower Limb Alignment and Joint Orientation Bones, joints, and bone and joint segments can be two-dimensionally characterized using axis lines. A mechanical axis line connects the center of a proximal joint to the center of a distal joint ( Fig.…
Introduction Periprosthetic fractures are defined as fractures involving joint replacements. In general, periprosthetic fractures can occur intraoperatively (primary periprosthetic fracture) or in the postoperative course (secondary periprosthetic fracture). In the lower extremity, periprosthetic fractures could be divided depending on the…
Residuals of trauma to the foot and ankle are a major cause of pain and disability for the affected patients. Trauma involving the joints of the ankle and foot is the most common cause of symptoms leading to the need…
Be sure you put your feet in the right place, then stand firm. —ABRAHAM LINCOLN As Homo sapiens, our evolutionary ancestors evolved to bipedality several million years ago. During this transition, the foot underwent multiple structural alterations. Many theories exist,…
This chapter discusses malleolar fractures, related ligament injuries, and other soft tissue injuries sustained with ankle trauma. Pilon fractures are discussed in Chapter 65 . Talar injuries are reviewed in Chapter 67 . Introduction The ankle is a complex hinge…
The defining characteristic of a pilon fracture is the involvement of the distal tibial metaphysis and articular block extending 5 cm proximal to the tibiotalar joint. The nature and complexity of these fractures range from simple patterns (e.g., boot-top ski injuries)…