The foot: still the most important reason for walking incapacity in rheumatoid arthritis: distribution of symptomatic joints in 1,000 RA patients.

Background And Purpose: Our knowledge of frequency of foot involvement in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is still often based on a study from Finland in 1956. Great changes in the treatment of RA may have led to a different situation. We investigated the distribution of joint involvement in RA patients today, with special attention given to the feet and subjective walking ability.

Gait pattern in rheumatoid arthritis.

The purpose of this study was to analyse kinematic and kinetic gait changes in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients in comparison to healthy controls and to examine whether levels of functional disability (Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ)-scores) were associated with gait parameters. Using a three-dimensional motion analysis system, kinematic and kinetic gait parameters were measured in 50 RA patients and 37 healthy controls. There was a significant reduction in joint motions, joint moments and work in the RA cohort compared with healthy controls.

Arthrodesis compared to Mayo resection of the first metatarsophalangeal joint in total rheumatoid forefoot reconstruction.

Background: Painful forefoot deformity from rheumatoid arthritis can be treated with resection of the lesser metatarsal heads combined with either resection or arthrodesis of the first metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joint.

Methods: In a prospective, randomized study we compared arthrodesis of first MTP joint with Mayo resection as part of total forefoot reconstruction in patients with painful forefoot deformity from rheumatoid arthritis. The lesser metatarsal heads were resected and extensor tenotomy was done in all patients.