Coen Verstappen, Pishtiwan H.S. Kalmet, Cherelle V. Maduro, Raoul van Vugt, Jan Bernard Sintenie, Alexander van der Veen, Michael J.R. Edwards, Martijn Poeze, Erik Hermans, Mitchell L.S. Driessen
DOI: 10.2340/jrm-cc.v8.42747

Objective: The current aftertreatment for surgically treated patients with displaced intra-articular calcaneal fractures (DIACFs) consists of restricted weight bearing (RWB) for 8–12 weeks. This study aimed to assess whether permissive weight bearing (PWB) results in improved patient-reported outcomes (PROMs) after a minimum of 2 years -follow-up, compared to RWB.
Design: Multicentre, retrospective cohort study.
Patients: Surgically treated patients with isolated unilateral DIACFs.
Methods: Foot and ankle function was measured using the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) Score and the Maryland Foot Score (MFS). Health-related quality of life was assessed using the Short Form-12 (SF-12) and the EuroQoL EQ-5D-5L (EQ-5D). Additionally, radiographic parameters and complications were recorded.
Results: Fourteen patients followed the PWB and 18 followed the RWB protocol (n = 32). The PWB group had similar outcome scores on the AOFAS Score (83.4 vs. 71.1, p = 0.13) and MFS (86.3 vs. 77.6, p = 0.20) compared to the RWB group. PWB showed similar outcomes on the EQ-5D (0.86 vs. 0.80, p = 0.26) scores. Radiographic parameters and complication rates were comparable for both groups.
Conclusion: This study suggests that PWB and RWB yield comparable PROMs in foot and ankle function without radiographic failures and similar complication rates in surgically treated patients with isolated, unilateral DIACFs.