Isolated subtalar dislocation

EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES As a result of reading this article, physicians should be able to: 1. Understand the etiology, epidemiology, and importance of treatment of isolated subtalar dislocation. 2. Understand the most common management practices when treating isolated subtalar dislocation and identify variations in management that may affect prognosis. 3. Consolidate reported patient outcomes as they pertain to variations in management strategies to explore which practices may provide the best prognosis after treatment of isolated subtalar dislocation. 4. Highlight the importance of further study to determine the best course of management for isolated subtalar dislocation regarding variables in treatment. This study reviews the literature on isolated subtalar dislocation published within the past 5 years. Variation in management existed mostly in the categories of treatment choice, immobilizer type, and period of immobilization, with closed reduction, closed reduction and percutaneous pinning, below-knee casting, less than 4 weeks of immobilization, and 6 weeks of immobilization reporting good results. The good results described after the addition of percutaneous K-wire fixation to the initial treatment method of isolated subtalar dislocation, immobilization via below-knee casting, and shorter periods of immobilization suggest that these practices may be useful for the treatment of this rare injury.