Abstract Summary
People with ankle osteoarthritis (AOA) often seek surgical treatment to ease pain and restore function, and recent research has yielded relatively equal outcomes between the two primary options: ankle fusion (FUS) and total ankle replacement (TAR). One factor missing is the effect footwear has on biomechanical outcomes. The aim of this study was to determine how footwear affects gait in FUS and TAR. People with AOA performed walking trials barefoot and shod prior to surgery, and returned for gait analysis three years later. Examining the interaction between footwear and surgical intervention, the two groups yielded both favorable and disadvantageous results, which are consistent with previous literature examining biomechanical outcomes between arthroplasty and arthrodesis. While this study provides insight into the effects of footwear on gait, the ideal surgical intervention remains elusive and may largely vary by patient.
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