Comparison of Diabetic and Non-Diabetic Individuals Outcomes Following Ankle ORIF Surgery Based on Physical Therapy Start Times

CATEGORY: Ankle; Trauma INTRODUCTION/PURPOSE: The surgical correction of ankle fractures are one of the most common orthopedic procedures performed and about 13% of individuals undergoing these procedure are classified as diabetic. Diabetes, as a disease, impairs fracture healing due to decreased bone quality and cardiometabolic dysfunction. The use of early mobilization following ankle surSgery has improved post-operative outcomes in the 'healthy' populations; however, early mobilization or early physical therapy initiation in the diabetic populations has not been elucidated. METHODS: Surgical correction CPT codes for ankle fracture were used to identify eligible patients followed by a retrospective chart review to confirm diagnosis and procedure(s) as well as collection of demographic information and pertinent medical history. Patient cases were examined over a two year period. Once the inclusion criteria was met, 209 unique patients were included in the analyses. Patients were grouped by diabetes status and early (i.e., <=8 weeks) or late mobilization (i.e., days post- op until physical therapy referral). Generalized linear models and a series Chi-squared tests, Fisher's Exact tests, one-way ANOVAs, and Mann Whitney U Tests were used to assess recovery duration, fracture healing, time to PT referral, medical history, and demographic information. RESULTS: The diabetic group in our study was significantly older [60 (IQR:18) vs. 58 (26) years; p = 0.019] and had a higher BMI [34(8) vs. 29(10); p = 0.041] compared to our non-diabetic group but there were no differences in the proportions for sex or the fracture type by diabetic status. The non-diabetic group displayed a quicker fracture healing time [86(35) vs. 111(45) days; p = 0.04] but there were no differences in recovery duration or days until physical therapy was prescribed. The GLM analysis performed with recovery duration (i.e., time to medical clearance) found that late mobilization was a significant predictor (p < 0.001) of recovery duration but not diabetic diagnosis (p = 0.738). CONCLUSION: There appears to be a different demographic profile for diabetic patients experiencing an ankle fracture when compared to non-diabetic patients. The delay in physical therapy referral and presumably early mobilization appears to be the strongest predictor of recovery duration. Future research should utilize randomized controlled trials to determine if early mobilization is safe and effective at facilitating quicker fracture healing and recovery following the surgical correction of an ankle fracture in diabetic patients.