Patient-Reported Outcomes After Permissive Weight Bearing In Surgically Treated Trauma Patients With Displaced Intra-Articular Calcaneal Fractures: A Multicentre, Retrospective Cohort Study

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 ( = 32). The PWB group had similar outcome scores on the AOFAS Score (83.4 vs. 71.1, = 0.13) and MFS (86.3 vs. 77.6, = 0.20) compared to the RWB group. PWB showed similar outcomes on the EQ-5D (0.86 vs. 0.80, = 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.