Minimally invasive plate internal fixation for calcaneal fractures

Objective: To assess the clinical efficacy of minimally invasive plate internal fixation for the treatment of calcaneal fractures.Methods: Manual reduction, rectification of deformity,and cold compress with traditional Chinese medicine were used preoperatively to relieve swelling and pain. A small incision was made to expose the articular facet and to perform anatomic reduction and plate fixation. Self-made traditional Chinese pharmaceutics were applied postoperatively on the surface of the wound to accelerate bony union.Results: All the 40 patients were followed up for at least 1 year postoperatively. According to the Maryland scoring system, the excellent and good rate was 87.5%.Conclusion: Minimally invasive plate internal fixation has the advantages of relatively mild injury, reliable fixation,good recovery, and rare complications in the treatment of intraarticular fractures.