Baseline characteristics of the 2 intervention groups. Values are mean (SD) unless otherwise specified.
| Variable | Control Group, n = 37 | Study Group, n = 37 | p |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age, yrs | 53 (10.8) | 48 (10.1) | 0.413 |
| Weight, kg | 74.00 (16.76) | 71.00 (14.35) | 0.772 |
| Sex, female:male | 36:01 | 30:07 | 0.056 |
| Disease duration, wks | 48 (171.2) | 48 (143.7) | 0.652 |
| Time since diagnosis, wks | 4 (112.7) | 8 (71.5) | 0.246 |
| BMI, kg/m2 | 30.75 (5.53) | 28.00 (5.0) | 0.354 |
| VAS for pain, rest, cm | 3.2 (3.2) | 3.8 (2.8) | 0.483 |
| VAS for pain, walking, cm | 5.9 (2.8) | 6.6 (2.3) | 0.224 |
| 6MWT, m | 386.3 (47.2) | 394.7 (58.2) | 0.497 |
| FFI | 52.01 (15.58) | 48.60 (16.44) | 0.118 |
| FHSQ domains | |||
| Foot pain | 34.11 (23.53) | 34.37 (21.41) | 0.592 |
| Foot function | 50.84 (24.78) | 54.2 (24.3) | 0.073 |
| Footwear | 41.43 (18.37) | 38.73 (16.45) | 0.387 |
| General foot health | 13.85 (17.41) | 16.68 (17.80) | 0.221 |
| General health | 45.40 (26.83) | 56.21 (24.64) | 0.016* |
| Physical activity | 54.41 (22.61) | 61.22 (25.53) | 0.168 |
| Social capacity | 67.63 (27.70) | 79.70 (23.84) | 0.458 |
| Vigor | 41.89 (20.45) | 56.41 (17.64) | 0.002* |
| SF-36 domains | |||
| Physical functioning | 53.5 (26.0) | 57.4 (25.5) | 0.252 |
| Role-physical | 31.8 (42.8) | 43.9 (43.5) | 0.001* |
| Bodily pain | 39.7 (16.5) | 46.9 (20.6) | 0.293 |
| General health | 47.3 (17.1) | 54.3 (18.5) | 0.014 |
| Vitality | 42.7 (20.5) | 51.9 (20.8) | 0.346 |
| Social functioning | 65.5 (26.7) | 76.7 (26.2) | 0.227 |
| Role-emotional | 57.7 (47.6) | 58.6 (49.3) | 0.807 |
| Mental health | 59.0 (20.8) | 63.5 (20.0) | 0.539 |
↵* Significant p value between groups (Mann-Whitney U test). BMI: body mass index; VAS: visual analog scale; 6MWT: 6-min walk test; FFI: Foot Function Index; FHSQ: Foot Health Status Questionnaire; SF-36: Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36.