Successful functional salvage of a hindfoot injury with isolated soft tissue reconstruction: a case report

Calcaneus has an important functional role in walking, running, gait and transferring 80% of total weight. Due to the paramount role of the calcaneus in function, there is a trend toward ‘below knee amputation’ for such heel injuries, associated with complete loss of calcaneus. Complex calcaneal defects represent a reconstructive challenge, due to few reported cases in the literatures, limited surgical options, and lack of long-term outcomes. We present a young patient regaining near normal function, weight bearing and independent walking after sustaining complex hindfoot defect that resulted in total loss of the calcaneus secondary to a landmine blast injury managed by soft tissue reconstruction only without skeletal reconstruction.