Early Versus Delayed Rehabilitation Following First Metatarsophalangeal Joint Implant Arthroplasty: A Retrospective Comparison of 40 Cases.

Authors

Jagoda Głodkowska-Sutuła, Igor Świerkowski

Published in

The Journal of foot and ankle surgery : official publication of the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons. Oct 29, 2026. Epub Oct 29, 2026.

Abstract

First metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joint implant arthroplasty is used to preserve joint mobility and reduce pain in patients with advanced hallux rigidus. The optimal timing of postoperative rehabilitation remains unclear.
To compare clinical outcomes associated with early versus delayed rehabilitation following first MTP joint implant arthroplasty.
Retrospective comparative study.
Forty patients who underwent first MTP joint implant arthroplasty were analyzed. Twenty initiated rehabilitation immediately after suture removal (mean, 2.1 ± 0.4 weeks after surgery), whereas 20 initiated rehabilitation later (mean, 21.4 ± 3.0 weeks after surgery). Both groups followed the same standardized rehabilitation protocol. Outcomes assessed before and after rehabilitation included dorsiflexion, plantarflexion, pain intensity using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS), and the AOFAS Hallux Score. Group × Time interactions were evaluated using mixed-design ANOVA and linear mixed-effects models adjusted for age and sex.
Greater improvements were observed in the early rehabilitation group for dorsiflexion (+12.35° vs +6.75°), plantarflexion (+4.70° vs +1.70°), VAS (-3.35 vs -1.50), and AOFAS score (+26.90 vs +11.00). Significant Group × Time interactions were found for all outcomes (p ≤ 0.001), and the associations remained significant after adjustment for age and sex.
Early rehabilitation was associated with greater improvements in joint mobility, pain, and functional outcomes than delayed rehabilitation. Given the retrospective, nonrandomized design and differences in postoperative assessment timing, these findings should be interpreted cautiously and confirmed in prospective studies.
III (Retrospective comparative study).

PMID:
42957151
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 30 Oct 2026.

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