Bilateral calcaneal fracture in childhood. Case report and review of the literature.

Calcaneal fractures in young children are rare. Bilateral calcaneal fractures in this age group are exceptional. In the literature only 4 cases of bilateral calcaneal fractures have been reported, and the youngest patient was 6 years old (range 6-17 years). Jonasch estimated that calcaneal fractures accounted for 0.005% of all fractures before the age of 15, in contrast to 1%-2% in adults. This is confirmed by other studies. It is not unlikely that the incidence is indeed higher because the joint involvement in childhood injuries is often subtle, and the fracture can easily be overlooked on initial X-ray examination. We survey the literature and report the case of a 5-year-old boy who sustained bilateral calcaneal fractures and an additional fracture of the neck of the talus on one side, a combination which to our knowledge has never been described before.