Calcaneal fractures: update on current treatments

Calcaneal fractures represent 2% of all fractures and account for approximately 60% of all tarsal injuries. Motor vehicle collisions and falls are the major causes of these large force compression injuries, causing widening of the heel, loss of heel height, and articular surface displacement. A correlation has been shown between restoration of normal anatomy and satisfactory functional outcome. Once the basic principles of calcaneal fractures are understood, including the anatomy, the radiographic findings, and the challenges that these complicated fractures present, the physician can then be ready with the armamentarium that allows for a patient-specific and injury-specific plan.