Modeling a clinical instrumental system for objective assessment of foot function in patients with post-traumatic deformity of the ankle and calcaneus

BACKGROUND: Gait alterations in patients after surgery on the ankle and foot are associated with biomechanically driven complications. The surgery outcomes depend on an accurate assessment of the anatomical and functional characteristics of the foot. Clinical gait analysis was performed using the computerized hardware-software system F-Scan Mobile.

AIM: This study aimed to evaluate biomechanical gait parameters in patients with deformities of the ankle and foot before and after surgery.

METHODS: A single-center, prospective, non-randomized, controlled, experimental, quantitative, cohort study was conducted at the Department of Traumatology and Orthopedics No. 4 of the Priorov National Medical Research Center of Traumatology and Orthopedics (Moscow) during 2022–2024. A total of 102 patients with ankle arthrosis and post-traumatic calcaneal deformity were treated, including 68 men and 34 women, a mean age of 39 ± 17.61 years. All patients also underwent biomechanical assessment of functional foot parameters.

RESULTS: Treatment outcomes in patients included in the study were assessed 12 and 24 months after surgery. The mean follow-up period was 22.3 ± 9.42 months. The mean visual analog scale score before surgery was 6.5 ± 3.63, and 1.6 ± 0.81 after surgery, indicating a significant reduction in pain (p < 0.05). The mean AOFAS hindfoot score increased from 38 ± 23.31 preoperatively to 88 ± 10.55 postoperatively, with a significant improvement in questionnaire scores (p < 0.05). Subjective evaluation of treatment outcomes: 56 patients (54.9%) rated the results as excellent, 30 (29.4%) as good, 14 (13.7%) as satisfactory, and 2 (1.9%) as unsatisfactory.

CONCLUSION: The clinical model for biomechanical gait assessment provides objective data on the structure of the gait cycle in unilateral foot lesions and allows evaluating the adequacy of adaptive motor skills in patients before and after surgery, as well as during long-term follow-up. Patients were satisfied with the treatment outcomes, confirmed both clinically and through biomechanical assessment.