When do you prescribe a cast vs a walking boot after foot and ankle injury?

They are similar: A cast and a walking boot are similar and accomplish many of the same goals. The main difference is that you can remove a walking boot but cannot remove a cast. Walking boots are great when the condition that you are treating is safe to remove from the immobilization temporarily, eg to take a shower. In instances where it is not appropriate to remove the immobilization, a cast is better.

Depends: It mainly depends on the type of injury and its location and age. We also take into consideration the patient; tolerance to which device we are choosing, reliability and compliance with instructions, and activity level.

Depends: The choice between a boot and cast application varies on several factors: nature of the injury, compliance by the patient, insurance coverage for the immobilization device chosen, mobility of the patient.