Immediate Improvement in Physical Function After Symptomatic Syndesmotic Screw Removal

Objective: To investigate the immediate impact of removing symptomatic syndesmotic screws on PROMIS outcomes and ankle range of motion (ROM) in patients who had previously undergone ankle fracture open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) and syndesmotic fixation and later experienced functional limitations. Design: Prospective cohort study. Setting: Level 1—trauma center. Patients/Participants: Fifty-eight patients with ankle fractures with syndesmotic instability that required ORIF with syndesmotic fixation who underwent syndesmotic screw removal (SSR) and 71 patients who underwent ankle ORIF with syndesmotic fixation, but without screw removal during the same study period. Intervention: Symptomatic SSR for patients with functional limitations and decreased ankle ROM. Main Outcome Measurements: PROMIS physical function (PF) and pain interference T-scores and ankle ROM before and after screw removal. Results: Patients who underwent SSR had a statistically significant improvement in the PF T-score to 44.5 (P
Source: Journal of Orthopaedic Trauma - Category: Orthopaedics Tags: Original Article Source Type: research