Initial Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on a US Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Clinic

BACKGROUND: In the United States, the COVID-19 pandemic led to a nationwide quarantine that forced individuals to adjust their daily activities, potentially impacting the burden of foot and ankle disease. The purpose of this study was to compare diagnoses made in an orthopaedic foot and ankle clinic during the shelter-in-place period of the COVID-19 pandemic to diagnoses made during the same months of the previous year. METHODS: A retrospective review of new patients presenting to the clinics of 4 fellowship-trained orthopaedic foot and ankle surgeons in a major United States city was performed. Patients in the COVID-19 group presented between March 22 and July 1, 2020, during the peak of the quarantine for this city. Patients in the control group presented during the same period of 2019. Final diagnosis, chronicity of symptoms (acute: ≤1 month), and mechanism of disease were compared between groups. RESULTS: A total of 1409 new patient visits were reviewed with 449 visits in the COVID-19 group and 960 visits in the control group. The COVID-19 group had a significantly higher proportion of ankle fractures (8.7% vs 5.4%, P = .020) and stress fractures (4.2% vs 2.2%, P = .031), but a smaller proportion of Achilles tendon ruptures (0.7% vs 2.5%, P = .019). The COVID-19 group had a higher proportion of acute injuries (35.4% vs 23.5%, P < .001). CONCLUSION: There was a shift in prevalence of pathology seen in the foot and ankle clinic during the COVID-19 pandemic, which may reflect the adoption of different activities during the quarantine period and reluctance to present for evaluation of non-urgent injuries. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III, retrospective cohort study.