"Snowboarder's fracture": fracture of the lateral process of the talus.

BACKGROUND: As physicians caring for patients who sustain snowboarding ankle injuries, we have noted that fracture of the lateral process of the talus occurs frequently. The incidence of this fracture, however, is very low in other accounts of ankle injuries. We report a case of fracture of the lateral process of the talus and review the pertinent literature of this injury.
METHODS: A literature review was performed using MEDLINE files from 1966 to the present. We found additional references from the bibliographies of available reports. RESULTS AND
CONCLUSIONS: Physicians caring for snowboarders should look specifically for fracture of the lateral process of the talus in a snowboarder with a lateral ankle or foot injury. This fracture can mimic a lateral ankle sprain, yet the fracture is easily missed on plain radiographs of the ankle. Because displaced or comminuted fractures can cause long-term disability, primary care physicians and specialists alike need to be aware of the association of this fracture with snowboarding.