Degenerative Pathology of the Ankle, Hindfoot, and Midfoot is as Limiting to Patient Mobility as Congestive Heart Failure

CATEGORY: Ankle, Ankle Arthritis, Hindfoot, Midfoot/Forefoot INTRODUCTION/PURPOSE: Degenerative conditions of the ankle, hindfoot, and midfoot can markedly limit mobility. The Life-Space Assessment (LSA) is a questionnaire quantifying how patients mobilize after a medical event as they return to their previous daily settings. Current outcome measures do not accurately assess mobility in the geriatric foot and ankle population. In contrast, the effect of congestive heart failure (CHF) on patient mobility is routinely assessed via the New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional classification. The NYHA classification is stratified by limitation of physical activity: I (no limitation), II (some limitation), III (marked limitation), and IV (unable to carry out without discomfort). We hypothesized that degenerative conditions of the foot and ankle would be as mobility limiting as CHF. METHODS: Patients over the age of 50 were included in this study. LSA data was prospectively collected from patients with degenerative ankle, hindfoot, and midfoot diagnoses at their preoperative visit and NYHA-classified CHF patients at a cardiology clinic. The degenerative foot and ankle cohort included Achilles tendonitis, ankle joint cartilage defects, ankle arthritis, subtalar arthritis, and midfoot arthritis. Patient demographics and comorbidities were recorded from the electronic medical record. Mean LSA data was analyzed and compared using a Student’s t-test. RESULTS: 28 degenerative foot and ankle patients and 44 CHF patients met inclusion criteria for the study. Patient demographics, including age, gender, and BMI, were not significantly different between the two groups. The foot and ankle cohort had a mean LSA score of 68. Mobility of the foot and ankle group was significantly less compared to NYHA class I patients, who had a LSA score of 103 (p=0.008). There was no significant difference in mobility compared to class II or III congestive heart failure patients, who recorded a mean LSA score of 62 (p=0.60). There was insufficient data available on NYHA class IV patients to make comparisons to this group. CONCLUSION: Degenerative ankle, hindfoot, and midfoot pathology is associated with similar mobility limitation to that of NYHA class II and III congestive heart failure.