Sports Activity with Ankle Osteoarthritis and Total Ankle Arthroplasty

Background/Objectives: The interest in performing total ankle arthroplasty (TAA) to address end-stage ankle osteoarthritis (OA) is continuously growing. Sports activity plays an important role in our world. The literature is sparse regarding return-to-sports activity following TAA. The levels and types of sports in TAA are rarely reported. The purpose of this prospective case series study is to investigate sports activity in ankle osteoarthritis (OA) and TAA in terms of rate, frequency, type, and clinical outcomes with a minimum 2 years of follow-up after surgery. Methods: A total of 103 patients (105 implants, 52 female, and 51 male), mean age 60.5 years (range, 23-84 years) with end-stage ankle OA were treated using a three-component, uncemented, mobile-bearing VANTAGE Total Ankle System. The mean follow-up was 2.9 years (range, 2-5 years). Visual Analogic Scale Pain Score (VAS, 0-10 points), Ankle Dorsiflexion/Plantarflexion (DF/PF) range of motion (ROM; degrees), functional American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) Ankle/Hindfoot Score (0-100 points), Subjective Patients' Satisfaction Score (0-10 points), Sports Activity Rate, Sports Frequency Score, and sports type were assessed. Results: The mean preoperative VAS Pain Score was 6.7 points (range, 3-10 points) and 0.2 points for postoperative (range, 0-3 points) (p < 0.001). The mean DF/PF ROM was 24.9° preoperative (range, 0-60°) and 52.9° postoperative (range, 15-85°) (p < 0.001). The mean preoperative functional AOFAS Ankle/Hindfoot Score was 39.5 points (range, 4-57 points) and 97.8 points for postoperative (range, 75-100 points) (p < 0.001). The mean postoperative Subjective Patients' Satisfaction Score was 9.7 points (range, 7-10 points). The preoperative Sports Activity Rate was 31.1%, with 85.4% for postoperative (p < 0.001). All the groups exhibited substantial Sports Frequency Score increases (p < 0.001). The most practised sports were hiking, biking, fitness, and swimming. Conclusions: total ankle arthroplasty (TAA) is an effective treatment for end-stage ankle OA. TAA facilitates a noteworthy increase in sports activity. This research offers important sports insights to patients with ankle OA and TAA.