Bone mineral content in the calcaneus after ankle fracture.

The bone mineral content across the calcaneus was measured by gamma absorptiometry in 82 patients with operated on ankle fractures. A mean deviation in bone mineral content between the injured and the uninjured leg of 6 percent was found. Early weight bearing in a walking cast or brace did not influence the process of postfractural osteopenia. Compared with the patients with isolated lateral malleolar fractures, the patients with bimalleolar and trimalleolar fractures were older and had a lower bone mineral content in the calcaneus of their uninjured leg. The percentage of deviation in bone mineral content between the injured and uninjured leg was also greater in patients with more severe fractures.