Peritalar dislocation: a follow-up report of 21 cases.

A total of 21 patients with peritalar dislocation, treated during the last 15 years in our hospital are reviewed. Of these, 18 had medial and 3 lateral dislocations. At follow-up, 10 patients with medial dislocation experienced either occasional pain due to the limitation of subtalar movements, or chronic pain due to severe osteoporosis of the hindfoot. All these patients with lateral dislocation had severe chronic pain, which was alleviated by subtalar arthrodesis in two of them. It is concluded that peritalar dislocation produces varying degrees of disability in the majority of patients with medial dislocation and serious disability in all patients with lateral dislocation. This is due to the severity of the soft tissue damage and the prolonged immobilization of the foot without bearing weight. It is essential to mobilize the foot as soon as possible after the injury.