Return to athletic activity after foot and ankle surgery: a preliminary report on select procedures

One hundred thirty-eight "athletic" patients from the author's practice underwent retrospective review of their foot and ankle surgery that was performed from 1990 to 1997 to evaluate the time to return to activity. Athletes were defined as follows: professional, varsity college and high school, runners amassing more than 25 miles per week, or those involved in regular competition. No recreational athletes were included. Average follow-up for the group as a whole was 49.4 months, (range, 12-108 months). One hundred seventeen of the 138 patients were able to be contacted and/or had been evaluated by September 1998. One hundred thirteen patients considered their surgery a success. All but two patients were able to return to the desired level of performance. Twenty-three of the patients increased their activity level after surgery. Twenty-eight athletes underwent Achilles tendon-related surgery (average follow-up was 44.5 months). Runners undergoing peritenolyses had an average return to activity of 4.0 weeks (range, 3-6 weeks). Patients undergoing Achilles procedure involving bone resection had an average return to activity of 13.8 weeks (range, 10-20 weeks). Forty-four bunionectomy procedures were performed, including 31 first metatarsal osteotomies. The group's average follow-up was 52.9 months (range, 13-100 months), and average return to activity for the first metatarsal osteotomies was 8.9 weeks. There were 48 rearfoot procedures. Lateral ankle stabilization procedures returned to activity on an average of 10 weeks (range, 7-16 weeks), while excised ossicles (os tibiale externum, os trigonum) had an average return to activity of 9.1 weeks (range, 8-14 weeks). Seven neuroma patients (via dorsal approach) had a return to activity of 4.0 weeks (range, 2.5-6 weeks), sesamoidectomy 7.5 weeks (range, 4-10 weeks), and Valenti arthroplasty of 6.5 weeks (range, 4-12 weeks), respectively. There were minimal complications. Two patients in the Achilles surgery group required revision surgery. One patient with a bunionectomy had postoperative hallux limitus. Eight patients had symptomatic screws removed.