title: Proprioception after total ankle arthroplasty.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Total ankle arthroplasty (TAA) is becoming an effective treatment for end-stage ankle arthritis. It is unknown if TAA alters the patient's ability to sense ankle joint position.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirteen unilateral TAA patients with a minimum of 2-years followup completed proprioceptive testing of the TAA and the contralateral side. The task was to reproduce a given ankle angle using a joystick-driven device while the lower limb was obscured from view. Nine angles were tested, including two angles in dorsiflexion, three in plantarflexion, two in inversion, and two in eversion. A repeated-measures ANOVA was used to evaluate the results.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No statistically significant differences between the TAA ankle and the contralateral side were found.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  TAA does not cause a change in proprioceptive abilities in arthritis patients when compared to the contralateral, unaffected side in a small sample of unilateral patients. Surgeons and rehabilitation professionals may use this information when designing rehabilitation plans following the insertion of a TAA.
authors.affiliation: Orthopaedic Surgery, Allegheny General Hospital, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Stephen F
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Conti
authors.forename: Derek
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Dazen
authors.forename: Gary
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Stewart
authors.forename: Aron
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Green
authors.forename: Rob
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.forename: Laurel
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kuxhaus
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Carl Miller
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000843:Ankle Joint / Q000502:physiology*; D001168:Arthritis / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D019643:Arthroplasty, Replacement; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011434:Proprioception / Q000502:physiology*; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular / Q000502:physiology*; D020127:Recovery of Function; D016896:Treatment Outcome