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Keeping It in the Fairway: Golf Handicap Following Total Ankle Arthroplasty

Publication ,  Journal Article
Taylor, MA; Lachman, JR; Adams, SB; Nunley, JA; DeOrio, JK
Published in: Foot and Ankle Orthopaedics
January 1, 2018

Background: Total ankle arthroplasty (TAA) provides a surgical alternative to tibiotalar arthrodesis when treating end-stage ankle arthritis. TAA preserves range of motion at the tibiotalar joint leading to improved postoperative function. Many patients who undergo TAA wish to maintain a high level of activity, including participation in low-impact sports such as golf. There are several studies in the total hip and total knee arthroplasty literature that have looked at the effect of total joint arthroplasty on golf handicap. We hypothesized that similar to hip and knee arthroplasty research, TAA is likely to result in a postoperative increase in golf handicap. Methods: After obtaining institutional review board approval, we retrospectively identified 60 patients (from 140 consecutive TAAs performed between August 2016 and February 2017) who had undergone TAA, played golf pre- and postoperatively, and had at least 1 year of postoperative follow-up. The average postoperative follow-up for the cohort was 28.1 months. Variables including preoperative and postoperative golf handicaps, swing laterality, age, gender, surgical laterality, implant used, and operating surgeon were recorded. Results: The average preoperative and postoperative handicaps were 19.7 and 17.9, respectively, which did not represent a statistically significant difference (P =.07). Patients who played 3 or more rounds per week had better preoperative and postoperative handicaps compared to patients who played 2 rounds or less; however, the change in their handicap following TAA and the number of rounds played per week was not affected. There was no association between the change in handicap and the follow-up period, handedness of golf shot, surgical laterality, implant used, or the operating surgeon. Conclusion: Our findings showed that golf handicap was not negatively affected following TAA in this series. Level of Evidence: Level IV, case series.

Duke Scholars

Published In

Foot and Ankle Orthopaedics

DOI

EISSN

2473-0114

Publication Date

January 1, 2018

Volume

3

Issue

3
 

Citation

APA
Chicago
ICMJE
MLA
NLM
Taylor, M. A., Lachman, J. R., Adams, S. B., Nunley, J. A., & DeOrio, J. K. (2018). Keeping It in the Fairway: Golf Handicap Following Total Ankle Arthroplasty. Foot and Ankle Orthopaedics, 3(3). https://doi.org/10.1177/2473011418790094
Taylor, M. A., J. R. Lachman, S. B. Adams, J. A. Nunley, and J. K. DeOrio. “Keeping It in the Fairway: Golf Handicap Following Total Ankle Arthroplasty.” Foot and Ankle Orthopaedics 3, no. 3 (January 1, 2018). https://doi.org/10.1177/2473011418790094.
Taylor MA, Lachman JR, Adams SB, Nunley JA, DeOrio JK. Keeping It in the Fairway: Golf Handicap Following Total Ankle Arthroplasty. Foot and Ankle Orthopaedics. 2018 Jan 1;3(3).
Taylor, M. A., et al. “Keeping It in the Fairway: Golf Handicap Following Total Ankle Arthroplasty.” Foot and Ankle Orthopaedics, vol. 3, no. 3, Jan. 2018. Scopus, doi:10.1177/2473011418790094.
Taylor MA, Lachman JR, Adams SB, Nunley JA, DeOrio JK. Keeping It in the Fairway: Golf Handicap Following Total Ankle Arthroplasty. Foot and Ankle Orthopaedics. 2018 Jan 1;3(3).

Published In

Foot and Ankle Orthopaedics

DOI

EISSN

2473-0114

Publication Date

January 1, 2018

Volume

3

Issue

3