Subtalar dislocation of the foot

Twenty patients with a subtalar dislocation of the foot are reported in this series. Thirteen cases had medial subtalar dislocation, 4 lateral, 2 posterior and 1 anterior. Open dislocation occurred in 2 cases. Manual reduction was successful in 16 cases and surgical reduction was necessary in 4. A short leg cast was applied for 3-6 weeks. There were no cases of aseptic necrosis of the talus, Excellent results, in terms of Hawkins' criteria, were achieved in 15 cases and good results in 5. Medial subtalar dislocation can be classified into two types: swing and shift. Most swing type cases showed features making their fractures irreducible, such as interposition of a tendon or retinaculum.