Frequency of Pes Planus and Posterior Tibial Tendon Dysfunction in Patients With Ankylosing Spondylitis

BASDAI includes six questions evaluating five important findings of the disease (Fatigue, hip and spine pain, swelling and pain in peripheral joints, enthesitis, duration and severity of morning stiffness). The pain levels of the patients will be evaluated with a Visual Analog scale (0: I have no pain, 10: I have very severe pain).

Higher scores mean active disease.

BASFI; consists of eight questions that evaluate the function of patients with AS and two questions that evaluate their daily life. Higher scores indicate greater limitations.

Ankylosing Spondylitis Quality of Life (ASQoL) scale is a disease-specific assessment parameter designed to measure health-related quality of life. It includes yes or no questions with a total score ranging from 0 to 18. The lower scores represent better quality of life.

Functional reach test: It is the maximum distance that the participants can reach forward in the horizontal plane while maintaining her/his stability on the support surface in the standing position.

The TUG test is a simple evaluative test used to measure functional mobility. It uses the time that participants take to rise from a chair, walk three meters, turn around 180 degrees, walk back to the chair, and sit down while turning 180 degrees. During the test, the participant is expected to wear their regular footwear and use any mobility aids that they would normally require.11-20 seconds are within normal limits for frail elderly and disabled patients, and greater than 20 seconds means the worse scores.

The Berg balance scale is used to objectively determine a patient's ability (or inability) to safely balance during a series of predetermined tasks. It is a 14 item list with each item consisting of a five-point ordinal scale ranging from 0 to 4, with 0 indicating the lowest level of function and 4 the highest level of function and takes approximately 20 minutes to complete. The total score is 56. A score of < 45 indicates participants may be at greater risk of falling.

The FAOS is a 42-item questionnaire assessing patient-relevant outcomes in five separate subscales (Pain, other Symptoms, Activities of daily living, Sport and recreation function, foot and ankle-related Quality of life). Scores range from 0 to 100 with a score of 0 indicating the worst possible foot/ankle symptoms and 100 indicating no foot/ankle symptoms. Lower scores mean the worse scores.

Posterior tibial tendon evaluation will be evaluated in 2 different locations in the retromalleolar area.Tendon diameter, continuity and fluid presence will be evaluated ultrasonographically. Power Doppler signal levels will be graded on a 4-point semi-quantitative scale (none-grade 0 / minor-grade 1 / middle-grade 2 / severe-grade 3).

The SportKAT device used for determining postural oscillation consists of a balance platform and sensors that detect oscillations.There is a screen in front of the participant standing on the platform to provide feedback. During the static balance test, it is asked to keep the 'X' mark seen on the screen constant in the center. During the dynamic balance test, it is asked to to follow the moving cursor. The score range varies between 0 and 6000. The lower the score, the better the balance.