Foot and ankle pain and tenderness and difficulty performing daily activities in a multiethnic community sample of older adults

Purpose Foot and ankle pain has been associated with mobility limitations and disability in studies outside the United States, but few data are available on representative community samples of older U.S. adults. We used data from a cross-sectional multiethnic random community sample of adults aged 65 and older to examine associations of foot and ankle pain and tenderness with difficulty performing routine activities. Methods Multivariable logistic regression was used to examine associations of self-reported foot or ankle region pain (“on most days in past 4 weeks”) and examiner-assessed tenderness of foot and ankle regions with report of “a lot” (vs. a little or no) difficulty with vigorous or moderate activities, walking, lifting, bending, and climbing stairs. Covariates were gender, education, obesity (body mass index ≥ 30), and arthritis diagnosis. In all, 738 men and women (42% white non-Hispanic, 44% African American; 14% Puerto Rican) with complete data were included. Results Adjusting for covariates, foot pain was associated with difficulty performing moderate activities (odds ratio OR = 2.1; 95% confidence interval CI = 1.1–2.5), lifting or carrying groceries (OR = 2.9; 95% CI = 1.6–5.4), climbing one (OR = 2.2; 95% CI = 1.2–4.2) or several (OR = 1.8; 95% CI = 1.1–2.9) flights of stairs, bending, kneeling, or stooping (OR = 2.8; 95% CI = 1.6–4.9), and walking one (OR = 1.9; 95% CI = 1.01–3.4) or several (OR = 1.8; 95% CI = 1.1–2.9) blocks. Ankle region pain was associated with difficulty performing vigorous (OR = 2.6; 95% CI = 1.5–4.4) and moderate (OR = 2.6; 95% CI = 1.4–5.0) activities, lifting groceries (OR = 3.6; 95% CI = 1.8–6.9), climbing one (OR = 2.6; 95% CI = 1.3–5.0) or several (OR = 2.8; 95% CI = 1.6–4.8) flights of stairs, bending, kneeling or stooping (OR = 4.8; 95% CI = 2.6–8.9), and walking one (OR = 2.7; 95% CI = 1.3–5.5) or several (OR = 2.3; 95% CI = 1.4–4.0) blocks. Foot and ankle tenderness was associated with difficulty performing vigorous (OR = 2.0; 95% CI = 95% 1.3–3.2) and moderate (OR = 2.1; 95% CI = 1.2–3.8) activities, lifting groceries (OR = 3.1; 95% CI = 1.7–5.6), climbing one (OR = 1.9; 95% CI = 1.1–3.6) or several (OR = 2.3; 95% CI = 1.4–3.7) flights of stairs, bending, kneeling, or stooping (OR = 2.8; 95% CI = 1.7–4.9), and walking one (OR = 2.3; 95% CI = 1.2–4.4) or several (OR = 3.2; 95% CI = 2.0–5.2) blocks. Conclusion Foot and ankle pain and tenderness are robustly associated with difficulty performing routine activities in this diverse community sample. Care providers should be proactive in treating these conditions.