Evidence map›Paper›PMID 29988337›Full record

ArticleJournal of foot and ankle research2018

Changes in foot pain, structure and function following bariatric surgery.

Tom P Walsh, Tiffany K Gill, Angela M Evans, Alison Yaxley, Jacob A Chisholm, Lilian Kow, John B Arnold, E Michael Shanahan

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of foot and ankle research, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
0.6field-weighted citation impact, top 35% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 14 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Psychiatric and Cognitive Functioning After Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity · 2025
    Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Pain is adversely related to weight loss maintenance following bariatric surgery.Surgery for obesity and related diseases : official journal of the American Society for Bariatric Surgery · 2021
    Article
  7. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 5 institutions in 1 country.

Tom P Walsh1College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University, Bedford Park, South Australia 5042 Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-3925-2075
Tiffany K Gill3Adelaide Medical School, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia 5005 Australia.
Angela M Evans4Discipline of Podiatry, College of Science, Health and Engineering, La Trobe University, Bundoora, VIC 3086 Australia.
Alison Yaxley5Nutrition & Dietetics, College of Nursing and Health Sciences, Flinders University, Bedford Park, South Australia 5042 Australia.
Jacob A Chisholm6Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Flinders Medical Centre, Bedford Park, South Australia 5042 Australia.
Lilian Kow6Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Flinders Medical Centre, Bedford Park, South Australia 5042 Australia.
John B Arnold7Alliance for Research in Exercise, Nutrition and Activity, Sansom Institute for Health Research, School of Health Sciences, University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia 5000 Australia.
E Michael Shanahan1College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University, Bedford Park, South Australia 5042 Australia.
Flinders University · AUFlinders Medical Centre · AULa Trobe University · AUThe University of Adelaide · AUUniversity of South Australia · AU

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundBariatric surgery candidates have a high prevalence of foot pain, depression and elevated plantar pressures. There is, however, limited research into how these factors interact pre- and post-surgery. The aims of this study were therefore to investigate the mechanical and non-mechanical factors associated with foot pain severity before, and the change after, surgery.

methodsBariatric surgery candidates underwent baseline and six-month follow-up measures. Foot pain was measured with the Manchester-Oxford Foot Questionnaire. Mechanical measures included body mass index (BMI), dynamic plantar pressures, radiographic foot posture, and hindfoot range of motion. Depressive symptoms, the non-mechanical measure, were assessed by questionnaire. Multivariable linear regression was used to determine which variables were associated with foot pain at baseline and at follow-up. Multilevel repeated models assessed the associations between foot pain and plantar pressure, adjusting for the interaction between group and follow-up time.

resultsForty-five participants (84% female), with mean (SD) age of 45.7 (9.4) years were recruited. Twenty-nine participants had bariatric surgery and 16 participants remained on the waiting list (controls). Following bariatric surgery, foot pain reduced significantly by - 35.7 points (95% CI -42.2 to - 28.8), while depressive symptoms and whole foot peak pressures had a significant mean change of - 5.9 points (95% CI -10.3 to - 1.5) and - 36 kPa (95% CI -50 to - 22), respectively. In multivariable analysis, depressive symptoms were associated with foot pain at baseline β = 0.7 (95% CI 0.2 to 1.2) after controlling for age, gender, BMI, foot posture and plantar pressure. Depressive symptoms were also associated with foot pain at follow-up in those undergoing bariatric surgery, β = 1.2 (95% CI 0.8 to 1.7). Foot posture and hindfoot range of motion did not change following surgery and a change in plantar pressures was not associated with a change in foot pain.

conclusionsFoot pain severity in bariatric surgery candidates was associated with depressive symptoms at baseline. Reduced foot pain following bariatric surgery was associated with an improvement in depressive symptoms, without a significant change in foot posture or foot function. Foot pain severity in bariatric candidates may be mediated by non-mechanical or non-local factors before and following surgery.

Indexed as

Bariatric SurgeryAdultCase-Control StudiesDepressionFemaleFootFoot DiseasesHumansMaleMiddle AgedObesityPainPostoperative ComplicationsBariatric surgeryFootObesityPain

Identifiers

PMID29988337
PMCPMC6022514
OpenAlexW2810625546

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.