Immediate Improvement in Physical Function After Symptomatic Syndesmotic Screw Removal

To investigate the immediate impact of removing symptomatic syndesmotic screws on PROMIS outcomes and ankle range of motion (ROM) in patients who had previously undergone ankle fracture open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) and syndesmotic fixation and later experienced functional limitations. Prospective cohort study. Level 1-trauma center. Fifty-eight patients with ankle fractures with syndesmotic instability that required ORIF with syndesmotic fixation who underwent syndesmotic screw removal (SSR) and 71 patients who underwent ankle ORIF with syndesmotic fixation, but without screw removal during the same study period. Symptomatic SSR for patients with functional limitations and decreased ankle ROM. PROMIS physical function (PF) and pain interference T-scores and ankle ROM before and after screw removal. Patients who underwent SSR had a statistically significant improvement in the PF T-score to 44.5 (P < 0.01) in the early postoperative period (mean 48 days) after screw removal. The screw removal occurred an average of 184 days after initial ORIF. This PF T-score change also met the minimally clinically important difference. There was a trend toward a significant improvement in PF T-scores for the SSR group as compared to the cohort group (44.5 vs. 41.6; P = 0.06) after screw removal. Removal of symptomatic implants resulted in an early mean improvement of total arc ankle ROM by 17 degrees (P < 0.01). Patients experienced an immediate and significant improvement in PF outcomes and ankle ROM after symptomatic SSR for ankle fracture ORIF with syndesmotic fixation. Therapeutic Level III. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.