The need for a paradigm shift in the rehabilitation of elective foot and ankle reconstructive surgery patients? An annotation.

Current surgeon established protocols encourage late weight bearing and prolonged immobilisation after ankle, hind- and mid-foot fusion surgery. There is no universal guidance regarding early mobilisation and rehabilitation after this type of surgery. There is a paucity of research in this area but early mobilisation may be beneficial in terms of improved clinical and patient reported outcome measures, whilst still offering good union and very few complications. Feasibility work prior to a full-scale trial is now needed to explore the efficacy of early functional mobilisation, prior to any adoption within clinical practice. A paradigm shift in the early post-operative management of this patient group has the potential to improve outcomes for patients and decrease the socioeconomic burden on the health service.