 Patients who have a calcaneus fracture requiring open reduction and internal fixation through a lateral approach and who give informed consent to enter the study will be randomized into two groups. Randomization will be stratified for each of the three fracture types. Group A will be patients treated with daily dressing changes and wound evaluations beginning on post operative day 1. Group B patients will have a VAC device placed in the operating room, with the first post-operative wound evaluation taking place 48 hours post-op. If at the first post-operative evaluation there is marked drainage, the VAC device will be replaced with re-evaluation approximately 48 hours later. 