The Jones dressing cast for safe aftercare of foot and ankle surgery. A modification of the Jones dressing bandage

Abstract

Aftercare of surgical procedures is not consensual in the community of foot and ankle surgeons. Although the incidence of infections following foot and ankle surgery is rare, soft tissue healing might be jeopardized after extensive and multiple approaches. We define a precise fixation technique of the foot and ankle in the immediate post-operative phase by what we call "the Jones dressing cast". This technique is a modification of the Jones dressing bandage. We compared two groups of patients (20 and 23 patients) who underwent similar operative reconstructive procedures, with and without the application of the described cast, respectively, for one week. At the two-month follow-up, we observed that the group, which was treated with the cast required less analgetics, had a reduced hospitalization time and achieved faster autonomy using crutches. It may be assumed that reduced strain to the soft tissue around the foot due to the cast may reduce the complications in the post-operative period.

Keywords: Cast; Complications; Foot surgery; Jones dressing; Post-operative.