Abstract
BackgroundThere are no standardized therapy guidelines for rehabilitation of calcaneus fractures. While there is consensus on non or partial weight-bearing, the use of supporting devices such as specific foot ankle orthosis is still a matter of debate. Recently, a heel-unloading orthosis (“Settner shoe”) was introduced for aftercare of these fractures, allowing walking by shifting the load to the middle-foot and forefoot. This orthosis enables early mobilization of patients suffering from either one-sided or two-sided fractures. The Settner shoe can be applied in non-operative therapy and after surgery. Specifically in calcaneus fractures, early regain of physical activity has been highlighted as one of the key factors for quality of life and the ability to return to work. Thus, we hypothesize that mobilization with the Settner shoe results in improved quality of life and greater physical activity within the first 3 months.MethodsThis is going to be analyzed by a randomized controlled study comparing treatment with and without this specific orthosis. The secondary outcome measure is the time point of return to work in patients aged between 18 and 60 years, with calcaneus fracture. Furthermore, the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) ankle-hindfoot score, a 3-dimensional gait analysis, and the Euroqol-5 dimension-3 level (EQ-5D-3 L) questionnaire for quality of life are assessed.DiscussionThis is the first trial applying a standardized rehabilitation protocol in patients with calcaneus fractures, aiming to improve the non-operative part of treatment by use of an orthosis.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03572816. Registered on 27 July 2018.
Highlights
There are no standardized therapy guidelines for rehabilitation of calcaneus fractures
A heel-unloading orthosis (“Settner shoe” [4]) was introduced in the aftercare of calcaneus fractures, allowing walking by shifting the load to the middle-foot and forefoot. This orthosis does enable early mobilization of patients suffering from one-sided fractures, and permits mobilization after two-sided fractures, avoiding the otherwise necessary use of a wheelchair
Consent form The consent form used during the trial is provided as Additional file 2 and 3 in Danish and English. This manuscript presents a protocol for a standardized rehabilitation protocol in patients with calcaneus fractures, aiming to improve the non-operative part of their treatment by use of an orthosis
Summary
There are no standardized therapy guidelines for rehabilitation of calcaneus fractures. A heel-unloading orthosis (“Settner shoe”) was introduced for aftercare of these fractures, allowing walking by shifting the load to the middle-foot and forefoot This orthosis enables early mobilization of patients suffering from either one-sided or two-sided fractures. A heel-unloading orthosis (“Settner shoe” [4]) was introduced in the aftercare of calcaneus fractures, allowing walking by shifting the load to the middle-foot and forefoot This orthosis does enable early mobilization of patients suffering from one-sided fractures, and permits mobilization after two-sided fractures, avoiding the otherwise necessary use of a wheelchair. Further outcome criteria are the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) ankle-hindfoot assessment, a 3dimensional gait analysis, and the Euroqol-5 dimension level questionnaire (EQ-5D-3 L) This is the first trial applying standardized aftercare in patients with calcaneus fractures, aiming to improve non-operative treatment. The trial clarifies whether the economic cost of the equipment is scientifically justified
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
