Gait patterns one year after unilateral total knee arthroplasty
Date
2006
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Publisher
University of Delaware
Abstract
Outcomes of total knee arthroplasty (TKA) have been reported to be generally positive, but the performance during activities of daily living of individuals after their surgery has not been comprehensively examined. Many researchers have investigated gait patterns after TKA, however there is no consensus the conclusion of significant differences from normal. Candidates before TKA are more concerned about when they will walk normally than any other question about surgery or post operative treatment. The purpose of these studies was to (1) Investigate gait symmetry one year after TKA, and (2) Identify gait deviations in patients with TKA one year after the surgery compared with age and weight matched healthy population. Gait analysis with twelve people one year after unilateral TKA revealed poor surgical knee kinetics during gait compared to twelve age- and weight-matched healthy people. However, poor knee kinetics was compensated for by larger hip extension moments perhaps to maintain gait symmetry temporally and spatially. The surgical limb showed significant quadriceps weakness compared to healthy elders, which was related to gait kinetics and kinematics. In summary, individuals one year after TKA demonstrate temporal and spatial gait symmetry with a hip compensatory strategy for poor knee kinematics and kinetics. Gait symmetry compensated by greater hip extension moments has, however, not reached the same level of age-matched healthy population since they demonstrated slower gait speed with prolonged double support time and poor knee kinematics and kinetics coupled with greater hip extension moments compared to healthy age-matched controls.