Association of Preoperative Depression Score With Outcomes of Transfibular Total Ankle Arthroplasty.

Favorable short-term results of transfibular total ankle arthroplasty have been reported in several studies; however, the factors affecting these results have not been elucidated. This study aimed to determine whether preoperative depression affects the outcome of transfibular total ankle arthroplasty and whether depression changes with surgery. Scores from the Japanese Society of Surgery of the Foot Ankle/Hindfoot scale (JSSF scale), Self-Administered Foot Evaluation Questionnaire (SAFE-Q), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and Timed Up & Go test (TUG) were collected preoperatively, at 6 months, and at 1 year postoperatively from 20 patients. Eighteen patients were diagnosed with osteoarthritis and 2 patients with rheumatoid arthritis. The mean age of the patients was 75 years. Patients were divided into 2 groups: those with preoperative HADS depression scores above the median (higher depression score group) and below the median (lower depression score group), and intergroup comparisons were made. No significant differences were observed in the JSSF and TUG scores between the groups, both preoperatively and postoperatively. Meanwhile, the SAFE-Q pain subscale score was significantly lower in the higher depression score group than in the lower depression score group (median, 59 vs 90) 1 year postoperatively. There were no differences in the other SAFE-Q subscale scores between the groups. The results suggested that depressive tendencies did not affect postoperative functional results using objective assessment measures but had a negative impact on pain in subjective assessment measures.

Effectiveness of Early Rehabilitation for Vertebral Compression Fractures: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Most patients become physically inactive after vertebral compression fracture and thus need help for early mobilization. This study sought to investigate the effect of early rehabilitation on activities of daily living in patients following acute vertebral compression fracture. METHODS: We conducted this retrospective cohort study with a hospital-based database created by the Japan Medical Data Center and comprising data from a Diagnosis Procedure Combination survey from more than 100 acute care hospitals across Japan. Data of consecutive inpatients hospitalized because of thoracic and/or lumbar compression fractures from 2014 to 2018 were extracted. We compared characteristics and outcomes between patients who underwent early rehabilitation (early rehabilitation group) and those who did not undergo rehabilitation (no rehabilitation group). The primary outcome measure was Barthel Index improvement. RESULTS: After applying exclusion criteria, a total of 8493 eligible patients with acute vertebral compression fracture were included in this study. The unadjusted data showed significantly greater Barthel Index improvement (72.5% vs 60.3, P < .001) and a higher rate of discharge to home (82.9% vs 77.4, P < .001) among patients in the early rehabilitation group compared with the no rehabilitation group. After adjustment by propensity score analysis, significant between-group differences were found. CONCLUSION: Early rehabilitation could possibly be a feasible alternative for maintenance of the Barthel Index in patients with acute vertebral compression fracture.