SLR - March 2012 - Grant Swenson
Reference: Thomas MJ, Roddy E, Weiya Z, et al. (2011) The Population Prevalence of Foot and Ankle Pain in Middle and Old Age: A Systematic Review. International Association for the Study of Pain, 152:2870-2880
Scientific Literature Review
Reviewed by: Grant Swenson, DPM
Residency Program: Southern Arizona VA Healthcare System
Podiatric Relevance:
Foot pain has been identified as an independent risk factor for gait disability, impaired balance, an increased risk of falling, and other functional activities of normal daily living. With such knowledge, it is important to determine how common foot and/or ankle pain may be among older adults. This article is a systematic review and meta-analysis of the prevalence of foot and ankle pain in older adults.
Methods:
A literature search was performed on numerous medical journal databases regarding foot and/or ankle pain in adults aged 45 years and over. Inclusion into the study was satisfied if English-language articles used a population sample frame, cross sectional design or analysis, and reported prevalence estimates for foot and/or ankle pain in adults aged over 45 years. All articles were screened by two authors and if disagreements occurred regarding inclusion to the study, they were resolved by consensus meetings.
Results:
34 articles from 31 studies involving 75,505 participants were found to meet inclusion criteria. Analyses of these studies with comparable case definitions of pain provided prevalence estimates. A frequent foot pain rate of 24 percent and a frequent ankle pain of 15 percent amount adults aged 45 and older was identified. Furthermore, pooling of other studies suggested preponderance in females, an age related increase of pain in women but not men, and that the forefoot was the most common site of pain in the foot and ankle. It was noted that in many of the studies, the response rate was low and that response rate was not reported in one study.
Conclusions:
This review is able to provide estimates of foot and ankle pain in middle and old age. Pooling the data from studies with comparable definitions indicated that foot and/or ankle pain affects approximately 1 in 5 middle aged to older people. By understanding the prevalence of this problem, healthcare professionals can better understand the people that they treat.
Though this review provides useful estimates for the overall prevalence of foot and ankle pain, it is clear that more research must be done to better understand this important issue. It is recommended that future studies should adopt a consistent definition of foot pain, and use a standard for documentation of pain location and severity. Also suggested was to further investigate the impact of foot and ankle pain on daily activities.