Postoperative rehabilitation of calcaneus fracture guided by the Footscan system

Objective To test the Footscan system for guiding the postoperative rehabilitation of calcaneus fractures.Methods Sixty patients with unilateral calcaneus fracture were divided randomly into a rehabilitation group and a control group.Patients in both groups began a routine of functional rehabilitation training 24 h after a reduction and fixation operation.The patients in the rehabilitation group received individualized rehabilitation protocols based on regular dynamic evaluation of their plantar pressure using the Footscan system.Those in the control group were administered routine rehabilitation training without the personal modifications.At the 2nd and 7th month postoperation,the dynamic plantar pressure of both groups was evaluated and the functioning of their feet Was scored.Results At the 2nd month post-operation,there was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of subtalar ioint range of motion,the lateral deviation of pressure center,the time of heel touch with the ground,the maximum pressure at the lateral aspect of the calcaneus and impulsive force during walking.The functional evaluation scores were also not significantly different.At the 7th month post-operation,all the indices in both groups had improved significantly over the 2nd month,bulthe improvement in the rehabilitation group Was greater(except the time of heel touch with the ground).Conclusion The Footscan system can be a valuable tool for evaluating patients with calcaneus fracture and serve as a reference for planning rehabilitation interventions for such patients. Key words: Calcaneal fracture; Plantar pressure; Gait analysis; Footscan system