Foam slipper in place of the walking heel for lower limb plaster of Paris casts.

Avoidable delays in the application of weight-bearing lower limb plaster of Paris casts on our patients caused by shortages of the standard walking heels (rockers) made us try the common and always--available foam slippers in their place. Their use in the treatment of 450 patients is reported here. The slippers performed all the usual functions of the rockers well and there were no complications due to their use. The patients felt very steady and comfortable on them and particularly appreciated the cushioning effect of their soft soles and the fact that they could use the other slipper on the uninjured leg comfortably. On the basis of the excellent results obtained in this study and in view of their cheapness and ready availability, the author recommends a wider use of slippers in place of the conventional rockers.