Influence of posterior malleolar fragment size on clinical function and spatiotemporal gait parameters in trimalleolar ankle fractures

Description

Ali Aydilek and Yusuf Erdem studied whether the size of the back fragment in a three bone ankle fracture predicts how well patients walk and function after surgery. Their 2026 review covered seventy two patients operated on for trimalleolar fractures between 2017 and 2022. Patients were split by whether the posterior malleolar fragment covered under or over a quarter of the joint surface. Outcomes combined standard foot and quality of life scores with smartphone based gait analysis, benchmarked against seventy two matched healthy controls.

Patients with larger fragments developed worse post traumatic arthritis grades over follow up. The smaller fragment group scored better on physical function and sports activity scales. Other foot scores and pain ratings did not differ between the fragment groups, however. Against healthy controls, both patient groups walked with clearly impaired speed, step timing, step length, and cadence. Gait stayed abnormal regardless of fragment size.

Catalog record

Source: https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13459426