History of the management of talar fractures: from the fall of king Darius to Garibaldi’s bullet and from the earliest to current operative strategies

Purpose This historical review aims to highlight the important roles of the talus in antiquity and to summarise the multiple attempts of managing talar fractures throughout history. Method Archaeological, religious, artistic, literary, historical and scientific accounts were searched for the descriptions of talus fractures in different eras and their treatments to provide a thorough analysis of the evolution of trauma care up to the present. Results This review shows how the talus has always had an important role in several societies: it was used as a die or considered to have a divinatory function in Mesopotamian civilisations, among Greeks and Romans, in Mongolia and in pre-Columbian Americas. Famous talus fractures are recorded in Herodotus’ Histories and in the Acts of the Apostles. We report the earliest injuries described and the first operative managements between 1600 and 1800, including the one that saved Garibaldi’s life in 1862, until the modern osteosynthesis by the first screws and nails and the current fixation by plating. Conclusion The blooming of orthopaedic surgery at the end of nineteenth century and the high volume of traumas managed in the World Wars brought a better understanding of fracture patterns and their operative treatment. By the work of Hawkins and his classification, the introduction of the CT scan, a better knowledge of injury modalities and bone vascularisation, these challenging injuries finally land in the contemporary era without mysteries. The subsequently developed surgical procedures, although not guaranteeing success, greatly reduce the risk of necrosis and complication rate, improving patient outcomes.