Return to Work in Patients with an Ankle Fracture and the Influence of Physiotherapy

Objective: The role of physiotherapy in the treatment of ankle fractures is unclear. The aim of this study is to assess the influence of physiotherapy on return to work (RTW) in patients with an ankle fracture. Method: A retrospective cohort study was conducted on patients of 18 years and older with...

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Main Authors: Robyn Van Vehmendahl, Diederik P.J. Smeeing, Michael Edwards, Albert Pull ter Gunne, Dieuwertje L. Tiel Groenestege, Michael Bemelman, Stijn Nelen
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Associação Brasileira de Medicina e Cirurgia do Tornozelo e Pé - ABTPé 2024-12-01
Series:Journal of the Foot & Ankle
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Online Access:https://jfootankle.com/JournalFootAnkle/article/view/1813
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author Robyn Van Vehmendahl
Diederik P.J. Smeeing
Michael Edwards
Albert Pull ter Gunne
Dieuwertje L. Tiel Groenestege
Michael Bemelman
Stijn Nelen
author_facet Robyn Van Vehmendahl
Diederik P.J. Smeeing
Michael Edwards
Albert Pull ter Gunne
Dieuwertje L. Tiel Groenestege
Michael Bemelman
Stijn Nelen
author_sort Robyn Van Vehmendahl
collection DOAJ
description Objective: The role of physiotherapy in the treatment of ankle fractures is unclear. The aim of this study is to assess the influence of physiotherapy on return to work (RTW) in patients with an ankle fracture. Method: A retrospective cohort study was conducted on patients of 18 years and older with a conservatively or surgically treated ankle fracture in one of four regional hospitals in the Netherlands between 2017 and 2019. Patient and treatment characteristics were extracted from medical records. Questionnaires were sent to receive information about RTW. Results: A total of 1804 patients met the inclusion criteria in this study and 1163 patients replied to the questionnaire (64.5%). Two groups were formed: patients who received physiotherapy (n=573) and patients who did not receive physiotherapy (n=582). Patients who had physiotherapy were more often older, female, had more inherently unstable and open fracture types, were more often operatively treated, more often treated using cast immobilization, experienced complications more often and needed revision surgery more often. Physiotherapy was seen to be a significant negative associative factor for RTW (HR = 0.768). Conclusion: Overall, 5% of all patients sustaining an ankle fracture did not RTW. Although in part explained by fracture-, treatment- and patient characteristics physiotherapy tends to negatively affect time to RTW in patients with an ankle fracture. Level of Evidence II prognostic study, retrospective study
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spelling doaj-art-cd65c8c4242b4f8ea759377f27b657cd2024-12-20T19:54:38ZengAssociação Brasileira de Medicina e Cirurgia do Tornozelo e Pé - ABTPéJournal of the Foot & Ankle2675-29802024-12-0118310.30795/jfootankle.2024.v18.1813Return to Work in Patients with an Ankle Fracture and the Influence of PhysiotherapyRobyn Van Vehmendahl0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9546-9279Diederik P.J. Smeeing1Michael Edwards2Albert Pull ter Gunne3Dieuwertje L. Tiel Groenestege4Michael Bemelman5Stijn Nelen6Department of Trauma Surgery, Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, the NetherlandsDepartment of Trauma Surgery, Rijnstate Hospital, Arnhem, the NetherlandsDepartment of Trauma Surgery, Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, the NetherlandsDepartment of Trauma Surgery, Rijnstate Hospital, Arnhem, the Netherlands.Department of Trauma Surgery, Slingeland Hospital, Doetinchem, the NetherlandsDepartment of Trauma Surgery, Elisabeth-TweeSteden Hospital, Tilburg, the Netherlands.Department of Trauma Surgery, Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.Objective: The role of physiotherapy in the treatment of ankle fractures is unclear. The aim of this study is to assess the influence of physiotherapy on return to work (RTW) in patients with an ankle fracture. Method: A retrospective cohort study was conducted on patients of 18 years and older with a conservatively or surgically treated ankle fracture in one of four regional hospitals in the Netherlands between 2017 and 2019. Patient and treatment characteristics were extracted from medical records. Questionnaires were sent to receive information about RTW. Results: A total of 1804 patients met the inclusion criteria in this study and 1163 patients replied to the questionnaire (64.5%). Two groups were formed: patients who received physiotherapy (n=573) and patients who did not receive physiotherapy (n=582). Patients who had physiotherapy were more often older, female, had more inherently unstable and open fracture types, were more often operatively treated, more often treated using cast immobilization, experienced complications more often and needed revision surgery more often. Physiotherapy was seen to be a significant negative associative factor for RTW (HR = 0.768). Conclusion: Overall, 5% of all patients sustaining an ankle fracture did not RTW. Although in part explained by fracture-, treatment- and patient characteristics physiotherapy tends to negatively affect time to RTW in patients with an ankle fracture. Level of Evidence II prognostic study, retrospective study https://jfootankle.com/JournalFootAnkle/article/view/1813Ankle fracturesphysiotherapyreturn to work
spellingShingle Robyn Van Vehmendahl
Diederik P.J. Smeeing
Michael Edwards
Albert Pull ter Gunne
Dieuwertje L. Tiel Groenestege
Michael Bemelman
Stijn Nelen
Return to Work in Patients with an Ankle Fracture and the Influence of Physiotherapy
Journal of the Foot & Ankle
Ankle fractures
physiotherapy
return to work
title Return to Work in Patients with an Ankle Fracture and the Influence of Physiotherapy
title_full Return to Work in Patients with an Ankle Fracture and the Influence of Physiotherapy
title_fullStr Return to Work in Patients with an Ankle Fracture and the Influence of Physiotherapy
title_full_unstemmed Return to Work in Patients with an Ankle Fracture and the Influence of Physiotherapy
title_short Return to Work in Patients with an Ankle Fracture and the Influence of Physiotherapy
title_sort return to work in patients with an ankle fracture and the influence of physiotherapy
topic Ankle fractures
physiotherapy
return to work
url https://jfootankle.com/JournalFootAnkle/article/view/1813
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