Fifty-six patients who had a displaced fracture of the ankle
necessitating surgical fixation were randomly assigned to one of three
postoperative treatment regimens: no plaster cast or weight-bearing, and
active exercises of the ankle; a non-weight-bearing plaster cast; or a
plaster walking cast for the first six postoperative weeks. At follow-up
with a duration of as much as two years, there were no consistent
differences in the clinical results between the three groups. The time lost
from work and the proportion of excellent and good clinical results were
also uninfluenced by the postoperative regimen. No adverse effects could be
detected as a result of the patient's having walked before the syndesmosis
screw had been removed. It was concluded that none of the three
postoperative regimens has any advantage over the others in a patient who
has a stable osteosynthesis of a fracture of the ankle.