The history of the calcaneal fracture.

The treatment of intra-articular calcaneal fractures has been a source of controversy in the past century. Major shifts in emphasis among four broad categories of therapy--no reduction, closed reduction, open reduction, and primary arthrodesis have occurred. The historical foundations of each of these treatments are traced to the present and related to modern approaches. The evolution of classification systems and developments in understanding the pathomechanisms of these fractures are also reviewed. According to several authors, modern treatment is making increasing use of open reduction after appropriate analysis and classification by computed tomography.