Abstract :
Most calcaneal fractures are intraarticular fractures involving the posterior facet of the subtalar joint.
Treating displaced intraarticular calcaneal fractures is challenging due to the paucity in optimal treatment
options. Internal fixation typically involves screw-and-plate implants, which can be unfavourable owing
to the lack of an anatomic design and the intraoperative bending required for the plate to contour to the
irregular surface of the calcaneus. In our study we included fifteen patients, two were female and the rest
thirteen were male.
The mechanism of injury involved road traffic accident in two cases and fracture as a result of fall from
height in the remaining patients.
These patients were followed up for 6 months at the end of which functional outcome was assessed in all
patients using the Ankle-Hind foot scale, that included assessment of pain, function, maximum walking
distance, gait abnormality, graded difficulty in walking on different surfaces, motion, stability of ankle and
alignment of ankle and foot. Based on this scale 10 patients (66.6%) had good outcome, 4 patients had
fair outcome (26.6%) while 1 patient (6.66%) had poor outcome. The results were promising, revealing
that the anatomic locking plate can be used effectively in the treatment of displaced intraarticular calcaneal
fractures using simple reduction techniques with a potentially shortened operating time.
Keyword :
Calcaneum.