Boots Are Not Made for Driving: A Cautionary Case Report About the Dangers of Driving in a CAM Walker Boot and Literature Review

Abstract

This case report is the first documented case of a serious motor vehicle accident caused by a patient driving in a controlled ankle motion (CAM) walker boot. The real-life nature and severity of injury in this case supplements the existing experimental studies on the dangers of driving while immobilized in a CAM boot and is likely to resonate strongly with both patients and surgeons. With CAM boots used so commonly after lower limb surgery, this case not only has the potential to change practice as an educational tool for patients but also raises important medicolegal implications for orthopaedic surgeons.

Levels of Evidence: Level V