Decreased physical activity in patients with ankle osteoarthritis. A case-control study comparing daily step counts

Background: The purpose of this study was to compare physical activity levels and the proportion of patients who met physical activity recommendations in patients with ankle osteoarthritis and controls. Methods: Ankle osteoarthritis patients (n = 50) and controls (n = 50) were recruited. physical activity was measured using an accelerometer-based monitor. Physical activity parameters, including the step count/day, the proportion of patients who met physical activity recommendations of ≥7000 steps/day, and moderate to vigorous physical activity minutes/day, were compared between the patient groups. Results: The patients with ankle osteoarthritis walked 3998 steps/day, while the controls walked 6531 steps/day (P < .001). Only 7 (14%) ankle osteoarthritis patients and 17 (34%) controls met the physical activity recommendations of ≥7000 steps/day (P = .01). Time spent performing moderate to vigorous physical activity was 58 and 78 min/day in the ankle osteoarthritis and controls, respectively. Conclusions: The physical activity level of ankle osteoarthritis patients was lower than that of controls. Only a limited proportion of ankle osteoarthritis patients met the physical activity recommendation.