Musculoskeletal Disorders Affect Quality of Life

Scores affected to similar extent as with other severe medical problems

FRIDAY, Nov. 10 (HealthDay News) -- Patients with ankle osteoarthritis have physical impairments affecting their quality of life similar to patients with other severe medical problems, according to study findings published in the Nov. 1 issue of the Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery.

Charles L. Saltzman, M.D., from the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, and colleagues examined scores assessing physical function and quality of life in 195 patients with ankle osteoarthritis and 95 matched controls. Short Form-36 (SF-36) Physical Component Summary and Mental Component Summary scores and the Ankle Osteoarthritis Scale pain scale scores were determined.

The researchers found that Physical Component Summary scores were lower and the Ankle Osteoarthritis Scale pain scores were higher in patients with ankle osteoarthritis. There was a significant and linear association between patients' perception of their ankle pain and the number of other musculoskeletal problems unrelated to the foot or ankle.

"The degree of physical impairment associated with ankle osteoarthritis, as measured with the SF-36, is equivalent to that reported to be associated with severely disabling medical problems including end-stage kidney disease and congestive heart failure," Saltzman and colleagues conclude.

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