Serial cohort study evaluating 67 feet in 57 patients at an average of 25 and 44 years after triple arthrodesis, asking whether pain, function, and adjacent joint arthritis stabilize or continue to deteriorate beyond the first postoperative decades.
When counseling a young patient about triple arthrodesis, use this data directly: expect progressive ankle arthritis in essentially all patients over decades, a doubling of walking-aid dependence, and a drop in good outcomes from 75% to 28% by 44 years — but also tell them that 95% of patients in this series were still satisfied, because the procedure delivered meaningful function during the most active years of their lives.
Serial cohort study evaluating 67 feet in 57 patients at an average of 25 and 44 years after triple arthrodesis, asking whether pain, function, and adjacent joint arthritis stabilize or continue to deteriorate beyond the first postoperative decades.
When counseling a young patient about triple arthrodesis, use this data directly: expect progressive ankle arthritis in essentially all patients over decades, a doubling of walking-aid dependence, and a drop in good outcomes from 75% to 28% by 44 years — but also tell them that 95% of patients in this series were still satisfied, because the procedure delivered meaningful function during the most active years of their lives.