Simultaneous bilateral snowboarder's fractures in a young woman: a rare entity.

BACKGROUND: Talus is a well-supported bone in the foot. A fracture of talus requires a high-impact injury. A wedge-shaped inferolateral component is the lateral process of the talus (LPT). A fracture of LPT is also known as a 'snowboarder's fracture'. Simultaneous bilateral snowboarder's fracture is rarely reported in English literature.

CASE: We present here a case of simultaneous bilateral snowboarder's fractures in a slow-moving motor vehicle accident in the icy conditions. The injuries were unique because the snowboarder's fractures were accompanied by fractures of the inferior aspect of talus bilaterally and a fracture of the anterior process of the calcaneus in the right foot. To our knowledge, no such case has been reported in the past. Our patient underwent successful open reduction and internal fixation with plate and screws.

CONCLUSION: Snowboarder's fractures are frequently missed by the clinicians, which causes significant morbidity of the patients. Adequate knowledge and awareness among the physicians about this type of injury may improve the patient care.