Total Ankles and Young Patients — More Reasons to Think Twice
Put the observed differences to use in your ankle arthroplasty practice
What’s the Claim?
A large, one-center case series compared patients in three age groups (<55, 55-70, and >70 years) who underwent total ankle arthroplasty and found at >2-year follow-up, patients in the youngest age group consistently fared worse — with reoperation rates some threefold higher (20% versus 6.5%) and revision rates about five times those observed in the over-70 group. Foot and Ankle Outcomes Scores were consistently poorest in the under-55 patients, and numerical pain scores were worst in the youngest group by clinically important margins.
