The Dangle study is a randomized controlled trial conducted in UMC Utrecht, the Erasmus MC, and UMC Groningen. Plastic surgeons are often consulted in case of insufficient coverage of vital structures (bone/tendons/vessels/nerves) in the lower leg. Insufficient coverage can be due to a trauma or a malignancy. The plastic surgeon can provide adequate coverage of these vital structures with the use of pedicled or free flaps. Usually, a dangling protocol of the leg is used, however its usefulness has insufficiently been studied. In this trial patients are randomized in two groups receiving either a standard dangling protocol or none. The research is focused on the postoperative therapy, the timing of operation, infections and on the quality of life.