title: Static and dynamic postural balance after successful mobile-bearing total ankle arthroplasty.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate static and dynamic postural balance after successful total ankle arthroplasty by using dynamic posturography.
  
  
  METHODS
  A controlled trial study.
  
  
  METHODS
  A national university orthopedic and rehabilitation hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients (n=30, 21 men, 9 women; mean age, 58y) and age- and sex-matched healthy controls (n=30).
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty patients who underwent unilateral total ankle arthroplasty with a cementless mobile-bearing ankle prosthesis and 30 age- and sex-matched healthy control subjects were included.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using computerized dynamic posturography, sensory (sensory organization test [SOT]), and motor (limit of stability [LOS], rhythmic weight shift [RWS], and weight bearing) impairment assessments were performed at an average of 15 months after total ankle arthroplasty.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the SOT, results of the SOT-2 test reflecting mainly proprioception showed no significant difference between patients and controls, but patients demonstrated significantly lower scores for SOT-4, -5, and -6 as a measure of dynamic postural balance and required more hip movement to maintain balance. In the motor-control tests, patients showed significantly lower measures in indices of LOS test except the mean reaction time and the forward/backward directional control and on-axis velocity of the RWS test. Weight bearing was observed asymmetrically in patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients had a higher degree of dynamic postural imbalance and relied less on ankle strategy to maintain balance than controls. Also, patients showed the deficit of motor control ability as compared with age- and sex-matched healthy controls.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Chonnam National University Medical School and Hospital, Gwangju 501-757, South Korea. kbleeos@chonnam.ac.kr
authors.forename: Keun Bae
authors.initials: KB
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Young Hoon
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Eun Kyoo
authors.initials: EK
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: Taek Rim
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Yoon
authors.forename: Kwang Ik
authors.initials: KI
authors.lastname: Jung
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000843:Ankle Joint / Q000601:surgery*; D019643:Arthroplasty, Replacement / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D004856:Postural Balance; D016474:Weight-Bearing