Pre and post operative physiotherapy in foot and ankle surgery: role, impact, and importance

Abstract

Background: The foot and ankle injuries require surgery to be fixed. The success of surgeries, in this case, is associated with appropriate physiotherapy before and after the surgery. The education, skills, capabilities, and expertise that physiotherapists possess are extremely beneficial to injuries to maximize their success. The expertise and competency of physiotherapists enable them to design functional rehabilitation regimens for these patients. The main objective of the study is to investigate the role, impact, and significance of pre- and post-operative physiotherapy in foot and ankle surgery.Methods: The current cross-sectional, and descriptive study conducted to 120 (n=120) patients with foot and/or ankle surgery before and after the physiotherapy between September 2019 to February 2022, from five hospitals, King Fahad General Hospital (KFHJ) in Jeddah, King Abdullah Medical City (KAMC) in Makkah, King Fahad Armed Forces Hospital (KFAFH) in Jeddah, International Medical Center Hospital (IMC) in Jeddah, and Al-Noor Hospital in Makkah. The descriptive survey data was collected depended on questionnaire reports based on patient-reported outcomes measurement information system (PROMIS) physical function and pain interference scales.Results: The results found the pain was interfered with patient daily activities (70.5%) and where unable to concentrate (69.8%), while 68.8% of them were unable to enjoy life. The results clearly indicated that most of the patients are unable to walk at normal speed (66.7%). Additionally, a considerable number of the patients had problems hiking or moving smoothly (60.8%).Conclusions: The average data suggests that improvement in physical performance and discomfort plateaus at around 4 months after surgery, with only minor changes occurring after this time point in the future. So, the patients have the biggest change in function and discomfort during the first 4 months following surgery on average.