Gait Analysis of Patients with Unilateral Total Hip Arthroplasty

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to evaluate objectively and quantitatively gait improvement after total hip arthroplasty (THA) using a 3-dimensional computerized Vicon motion analyzer. METHOD: A preoperative gait evaluation was performed within one month before surgery and two postoperative gait evaluations at 6 months intervals after surgery. Pre- and postoperative gait parameters of 176 patients with unilateral total hip arthroplasty were evaluated and data were compared with those of 56 healthy persons. RESULTS: 1) Single limb support of affected limb increased significantly at postoperative 6 and 12 months compared with preoperative data. 2) The improvements of hip flexion and abduction of affected limb were in almost normal range at postoperative 12 months. 3) Maximal hip flexor moment in terminal stance of affected limb reached to nearly normal level at postoperative 12 months. CONCLUSION: A quantitative gait analyzer is a very useful tool to assess objectively the success of THA as substantiated by the results of this study with a significant improvement in all the parameters of gait.

Gait Analysis of Patients with Unilateral Hip Lesion Treated with Total Hip Arthroplasty / 대한정형외과학회잡지

Total hip replacement arthroplasty ( THA ) is a useful treatment method in the patients with avascular necrosis ( AVN ) or degenerative arthritis ( DA ) to relieve pain and recovery of function. Beside pain relief , patients want improvement in gait pattern , which is related with Jeg length discrepancy, range of motion, and muscle power. It could be difficult to analyse the cause of limp accuratelv by the clini-cal observation. Therefore gait analysis will he a good tool for the identification of the factors related to the recovery of patients after the operation. This study was undertaken in an attempt to evaluate the gait characteristics of 16 patients with unilateral hip disease treated with THA. We compared the outcome of qualitative and quantitative analysis of gait and also compared with those of 14 healthy person. The results were as followed : 1. The patients showed short single support time on their painful limb prior to THA , but postoperatively , it was increased to near normal (p<0.05). 2. Preoperatively, the range of hip flexion of the sound side was increased more than those of the normal control and the painful limh. After the THA, it returned to the near normal (p<0.05~). The hip extension of the painful limh uas increased postoperatively (P<0.05) but still it was lower than normai subject. The hip ahduction and internal roiation of sound side was also increased to near normal after THA. In conclusion, great improvement ot the gait characteristics in patients with hip disease after THA was found and this gait improvement can he analyzed quantitatively hy gait analysis.