Pre-operative ambulatory measurement of asymmetric lower limb loading during walking in total hip arthroplasty patients

The main goal of this study was to investigate how mobility characteristics during walking, relate to gait velocity and questionnaire outcomes of patients with hip osteoarthritis in an outpatient setting. Methods 22 patients with primary osteoarthritis of the hip selected for a total hip arthroplasty participated in this study. For each patient the Harris Hip Score, the Traditional Western Ontario and the McMaster Universities osteoarthritis index were administered. Subsequently, the patients were instructed to walk through the corridor while wearing instrumented shoes. The gait velocity estimated with the instrumented force shoes was validated measuring the time required to walk a distance of 10 m using a stopwatch and a measuring tape as a reference system. A regression analysis between spatial, temporal, ground reaction force parameters, including asymmetry, and the gait velocity and the questionnaires outcomes was performed