Health-Related Quality of Life Among Middle-Aged Adults With Chronic Ankle Instability, Copers, and Uninjured Controls.

CONTEXT: People with chronic ankle instability (CAI) display a lower regional and global health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Examinations of HRQoL outcomes associated with CAI have addressed younger adults, restricting our understanding of the long-term consequences of CAI. OBJECTIVE: To compare ankle regional and global HRQoL in middle-aged participants with and those without CAI. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Laboratory. PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS: A total of 59 middle-aged volunteers, consisting of 18 with CAI (age = 50.2 ± 9.3 years), 17 who were ankle-sprain copers (age = 54.5 ± 8.7 years), and 24 uninjured controls (age = 56.7 ± 10.0 years). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Participants completed the Foot and Ankle Disability Index (FADI) and the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System Adult Profile. Regional HRQoL was assessed using the FADI Activities of Daily Living and Sport subscales. Global HRQoL was measured using the 43-item Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System Adult Profile, which contains 7 short forms-Physical Function, Pain Interference, Fatigue, Depression, Sleep Disturbance, Anxiety, and Ability to Participate in Social Roles and Activities. Separate Kruskal-Wallis tests were used to determine between-groups differences. RESULTS: Middle-aged participants with CAI had lower scores on both subscales of the FADI than the coper and control groups (all P values <.001). Participants with CAI scored lower on the Physical Function (U = 116.0, z = -2.78, P = .005) and Ability to Participate in Social Roles and Activities (U = 96.0, z = -3.09, P = .002) subscales but higher on the Pain Interference (U = 144.0, z = -2.36, P = .02), Fatigue (U = 110.0, z = -2.72, P = .006), and Depression (U = 110.5, z = -2.91, P = .004) subscales than the control group. Participants with CAI also scored lower on the Physical Function (U = 74.5, z = -2.79, P = .005) and Ability to Participate in Social Roles and Activities (U = 55.0, z = -3.29, P = .001) subscales but higher on the Fatigue (U = 90.0, z = -2.09, P = .04) and Depression (U = 96.5, z = -1.97, P = .048) subscales than the coper group. CONCLUSIONS: Middle-aged participants with CAI displayed worse ankle regional and global HRQoL than their age-matched healthy counterparts and copers. These results demonstrated that CAI can affect HRQoL outcomes in middle-aged adults.

Health-related quality of life is decreased in middle-aged adults with chronic ankle instability.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to determine whether health-related quality of life and region-specific outcomes differ between middle-aged adults with and without chronic ankle instability. DESIGN: Cross-sectional. METHODS: Two hundred middle-aged individuals (40 years or older) volunteered to participate in the study. There were 75 individuals classified as having chronic ankle instability (51.5±7.3years, 175.8±3.7cm, 86.5±18.9kg) and 125 classified as not having chronic ankle instability (53.2±7.3years, 176.2±5.4cm, 81.3±17.6kg). Participants completed the Identification of Functional Ankle Instability as the inclusionary survey and the Internal Ankle Consortium guidelines were followed to classify individuals. Following the inclusionary survey participants completed the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Lower Limb Questionnaire and the Short Form-36 v2. RESULTS: The Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Lower Limb Questionnaire, and the Physical Component Summary score of the Short Form-36 v2 were statistically different between groups (p<0.05). Specifically, the mean difference was 16.7 points and 12.3 points for the Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Lower Limb Questionnaire and the Physical Component Summary score, respectively, with the CAI participants scoring worse. CONCLUSIONS: Individuals with CAI displayed decreased generic health-related quality of life and reduced region-specific ankle function.