Temporal gait analysis of hip osteoarthritic patients operated with cementless hip replacement.

Abstract

This study attempts to identify temporal gait parameters, which characterize the pre- and postoperative course of hip monoarthritic patients who undergo cementless hip replacement. Twenty-five female hip monoarthritic subjects (mean age 51, SD 5.0) were studied preoperatively; 20 out of them were studied at 1 and 8-10 years after the operation with a 22-m conductive walkway system using telemetry. A gender-matched control group was also studied (mean age 60, SD 2.0). The assessed parameters are the gait cycle duration, the single and double support, the single step duration and the gait speed. The results indicate that improvement in patients' conditions following the operation occurs rapidly during the first postoperative year. Yet the hip has not reached optimal performance 1 year postoperatively; 8-10 years later it seems to have reached its optimal performance and remains in good condition. However, it still is below that of the controls. Single support duration and speed are crucial in characterizing the functional restitution of patients after hip replacement. An orthopaedic surgeon who attempts to quantify the postoperative course of hip monoarthritic patients after cementless hip replacement can focus at those temporal factors, which are typical of the functional restitution after the operation, without losing any valuable information given by other values.