Calcaneal angle in Ugandans.

We investigated the calcaneal angle from 206 unilateral radiographs of the lateral aspect of the foot in Ugandans, comprising 114 males and 92 females, aged 20-40 years. The mean angle in males was 35.1 degrees with a standard deviation (SD) of 7.5 degrees and, in females, 37.6 degrees with SD 5.6 degrees. The range of the angle for both sexes together was 20-50 degrees with females having a significantly higher mean value than males (P < 0.01). There was also a significant difference in the angle between Ugandan and Nigerian men (P < 0.01) and between Ugandan and Nigerian women (P < 0.001). Our reported range was the widest so far documented in Africans. Our study reinforces the need to establish the normal range of the angle in a given population and also highlights the clinical importance of the angle to orthopedic surgeons managing calcaneal fractures in this part of the world. Copyright 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.