The effect of unilateral osteoarthritis of the hip on postural balance disorders.

Abstract

Postural stability is of great importance because imbalances and muscle weakness are significant risk factors for falls experienced by the elderly. Hip arthrosis, which causes pain and gait disorders that affect balance control, is common in the ageing population. The aim of this study was to assess postural stability in patients with unilateral hip arthrosis before total hip arthroplasty. The study population consisted of 52 patients with hip arthrosis (study group) and 47 subjects with no history of clinical symptoms of hip pain. The groups did not differ statistically in terms of age and BMI. Static balance was assessed by conducting a quantitative analysis of balance reaction parameters in a quiet standing position with the eyes open and closed. Analysis of the collected data revealed numerous statistically significant differences between patients with unilateral hip arthrosis before total hip arthoplasty and the asymptomatic group for parameters tested with eyes closed (p<0.05). We observed higher values of total length of centre of pressure (COP), sway path (SP), length of COP path in the medial-lateral plane (SPML), maximal amplitude between the 2 most distant points in the medial-lateral plane (MaxML), mean COP velocity (MV), and mean COP velocity in medial-lateral (MVML) in the study group.