This research explored and analyzed the effects of early partial weight-bearing rehabilitative exercise on postoperative recovery after Sanders IV calcaneal fractures.
Researchers from The Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at the Yantai Yuhuangding Hospital in China worked with 86 patients hospitalized with Sanders IV calcaneal fracture from April 2018 to January 2020. The patients were randomly divided into the observation group (n=44) and the control group (n=42). The control group carried out the conventional rehabilitative exercise (partial weight bearing began at 13 weeks post-surgery), and the observation group underwent early partial weight-bearing rehabilitative exercise at 4 weeks. The foot function between the 2 groups was compared after 24 weeks of treatment.
The foot function of the observation group after 24 weeks of treatment was notably superior to that of the control group (P <0.05). The Maryland foot function scores of the 2 groups at 6 weeks, 12 weeks, and 24 weeks post-operation were critically higher than those before treatment (P <0.05), and the score of the observation group was substantially higher than that of the control group (P <0.05). The American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society scores of patients in the 2 groups at 6 weeks, 12 weeks, and 24 weeks post-operation increased over that before treatment (P <0.05), and the scores of the observation group were evidently higher than that of the control group (P <0.05). In addition, the comparison of Angle B’hler and Angle Gissane between the 2 groups of patients 24 weeks post-operation showed statistically insignificant difference (P >0.05).
The authors concluded that early partial weight-bearing rehabilitative exercise can effectively promote the postoperative functional recovery of patients with Sanders IV calcaneal fractures, and at the same time it has no impact on internal fixation or calcaneus shape.
Source: Li Y, Xie L, Li W. Effect of early partial weight-bearing rehabilitative exercise on postoperative functional recovery of Sanders IV calcaneal fractures. Am J Transl Res. 2021 Jul 15;13(7):8316-8322.
