Director Christopher McQuarrie says the action star broke ankle during the filming of a stunt which required jumping between buildings and hitting a wall
Human ankles are created equal, whether they belong to movie star Tom Cruise or hardworking UFAI patient Diego Cortez. Like any other part of our skeleton, when ankles are hit with excessive force, they break.
The ankle is both strong and stable. It has to be, because it bears 150% of your body weight when you walk, and up to 800% of your body weight when you run. The ankle joint acts like a hinge that enables twisting in three directions, sometimes simultaneously.
A healthy ankle is able to instantly and continuously adapt to whatever terrain you happen to be traversing. But even this sturdy structure is subject to fractures.
Tom Cruise is famous for performing his own movie stunts. That risky business practice recently led to him slamming his feet into the side of a tall building at high speed during the filming of Mission Impossible 6 in London.
When an ankle breaks in more than one place (called a bi-malleolar or tri-malleolar fracture) surgery is usually required. When the fracture is displaced, and the ankle joint is also no longer properly aligned, surgery is necessary to realign the ankle joint. This is what happened to Cruise.
“Surgical precision is required,” according to UFAI Director Dr. Bob Baravarian, “as we must align the ankle joint to within 2 mm of its original position for optimal long-term results.”
These serious injuries happen every day in the workplace and at home. Diego Cortez, a patient of Dr. Baravarian, broke his ankle at work from a 20-foot fall from scaffolding. His employer sent Diego to UFAI, and we performed comprehensive reconstructive ankle surgery.
Diego returned to work and, equally important, his very active lifestyle which includes running and working out. In fact, Diego was so pleased with the results of his ankle reconstructive surgery that he recorded a testimonial.
Watch Diego’s story here:
https://afarsitebetter-3.wistia.com/medias/db7fuzvd1i?embedType=async&videoFoam=true&videoWidth=640Now what’s interesting about Cruise’s injury is it’s reported that he rejected ankle surgery, which was recommended. Instead, he has chosen to trust his “non-medical beliefs for his healing.” In other words, for religious reasons, which we respect since all adults should have the right to make their own choices about their care.
But as you can also imagine, we are very interested in how this will work out for Mr. Cruise.
We will let you know and certainly wish him all the best!
About University Foot and Ankle Institute
From plantar fasciitis to Achilles injuries to ankle sprains and more, we’re committed to overall foot wellness for our patients. Our nationally recognized foot and ankle specialists offer the most advanced podiatric care and the highest success rates in the nation. We are leaders in researching, diagnosing, and treating all foot and ankle conditions.
For more information or to schedule a consultation in the greater Los Angeles area, please call (877) 736-6001 or make an appointment now.
University Foot and Ankle Institute is conveniently located throughout Southern California and the Los Angeles area as our foot doctors are available at locations in or near Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, West Los Angeles, Manhattan Beach, Northridge, Downtown Los Angeles, Westlake Village, Granada Hills, and Valencia, California.
At University Foot and Ankle Institute, we take our patients’ safety seriously. Our facility’s Covid-19 patient safety procedures exceed all CDC recommendations.
As a teaching institution, University Foot and Ankle Institute’s Fellowship Program is among the most advanced in the nation.
We at UFAI are driven to get our patients back to their normal activities with the highest level of function, in the least amount of time, using the least invasive treatments possible. From start to finish, we are with you every step of the way.
The UFAI Education Team works to help empower our patients and website visitors with the most up-to-date information about foot and ankle conditions, treatment options, recovery and injury prevention. Our goal is to pass on truly useful information to our readers.
We hope you enjoy our work and find it of value. Please let us know!
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Has the foot and ankle institute had much success in treatment of charcot ankle my right ankle is suffering this condition trays indicate worn down cartilage cushion between leg bone and ankle bone
Yes we certainly have. If you are om Southern California (or are traveling here) and want to see us, send me a chat message with your info on our website, and let me know how we can help you. And thank you for visiting too! Steven