A short controlled ankle movement (CAM) walker boot may be a better rehabilitative tool than a rigid post-operative sandal or standard athletic shoe for patients treated for fractures of the fifth metatarsal base, a new study has found. The study involved 20 people with no recent history of foot injury, all of whom were asked to walk, heel walk, and pivot while wearing a short CAM walker boot, a rigid post-operative sandal, or a standard athletic shoe. Peak pressure, contact pressure, and impulse at the base of the fifth metatarsal were then measured while patients were wearing each of these devices during the aforementioned gait activities. The study found that the short CAM walker boot was more effective than the sandal or the standard athletic shoe at offloading the fifth metatarsal while patients performed the gait activities. Compared to the post-operative sandal, the use of the CAM walker boot resulted in significantly lower peak pressure at the fifth metatarsal during walking and heel walking and also significantly reduced contact pressures at this location of the foot while patients performed these actions. In addition, the CAM walker boot resulted in significantly lower peak pressure and significantly reduced contact pressures at the fifth metatarsal during heel walking compared to the athletic shoe.
From the article of the same title
PM&R (05/30/2014) Hunt, Kenneth J.; Goeb, Yannick; Esparza, Rolando; et al.
via This Week @ ACFAS.
