The landmine foot: its description and management

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic surgery
• Trauma surgery
• Podiatric medicine

Background:

• Landmine explosions cause devastating injuries, particularly to the lower extremities.
• Foot and ankle trauma presents unique challenges in diagnosis and management.
• Limited data exists on specific injury patterns and outcomes from landmine-related foot trauma.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the clinical features of a specific foot injury resulting from landmine explosions, termed 'landmine foot'.
• To outline the orthotic management and assess the prognosis of 'landmine foot' injuries.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of rehabilitation strategies in a resource-limited setting.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective case series analysis of 54 patients with landmine explosion injuries.
• Detailed description of injury patterns, focusing on the mid- and hindfoot.
• Documentation of clinical presentation, surgical interventions, and orthotic management, including customized surgical boots.

Main Results:

• 72% of injuries affected the mid- and hindfoot.
• 67% of these involved open calcaneal fractures.
• The 'landmine foot' entity was characterized, with generally favorable prognosis and successful rehabilitation using customized surgical boots.

Conclusions:

• 'Landmine foot' is a distinct injury pattern resulting from landmine explosions, primarily affecting the calcaneus.
• Orthotic management with customized surgical boots is effective for rehabilitation.
• Favorable outcomes are achievable even in resource-limited settings with appropriate interventions.