Static posture weightbearing joint angle differences in patients with varus ankle osteoarthritis.
Zachary J Eatough, Andrew C Peterson, Rich J Lisonbee and 5 others
PMID 38729081WHAT IT FOUND
Weightbearing CT found different static joint angles in varus ankle osteoarthritis.
Compensated ankles had more inverted subtalar joints than non-compensated and healthy ankles, and midtarsal angles differed from healthy ankles. No rotation-angle differences were found. These are alignment differences, not evidence that treatment works.
Key findings
01In advanced varus ankle osteoarthritis, compensated ankles had a more inverted subtalar joint than non-compensated ankles (p = 0.0435) and healthy ankles (p = 0.0199).
02Healthy ankles had more everted midtarsal joints than compensated ankles (p < 0.0001) and non-compensated osteoarthritis ankles (p = 0.0010), and compensated ankles had more plantarflexed midtarsal joints than healthy ankles (p = 0.0030).
03No internal or external rotation differences were found at the subtalar or midtarsal joints between any groups.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The scans were taken in a static standing posture, so they do not show how these joint angles change during walking or daily activity. Segmenting osteoarthritic bones is difficult, and small segmentation errors could influence the calculated angles. The osteoarthritis group was mostly male, with 31 of 44 patients male, while the healthy group had only 7 of 26 ankle scans from males, so sex differences may have affected the alignment findings. The groups were small, especially the non-compensated osteoarthritis group with 17 ankles and the healthy group with 26 ankles. The study compared static alignment only; it did not measure pain, function, gait, or treatment outcomes, so it cannot show that these angle differences cause symptoms or improve with treatment.
Declared interests
The authors declared no competing interests and said none of them received outside financial support. The journal metadata lists NIH extramural research support.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that correcting these static joint angles will improve pain, walking, or osteoarthritis progression. The study measured joint angles on standing CT scans and did not test any treatment or follow patients for symptom or function outcomes.