Exercise testing before and after hip arthroplasty.
In 30 elderly women awaiting hip arthroplasty on account of unilateral osteoarthritis of the hip, walking speed and oxygen consumption were measured during a 12-minute test and the power output was calculated from the stair climbing rate. The results were compared with those for a group of 30 normal women of similar age. An age-related decline in maximal walking speed was observed in both groups. After arthroplasty there was a significant increase in maximal walking speed, particularly among the more disabled patients, with the major gain occurring by three months and a further slight increase by six months. Oxygen consumption returned towards normal values, and both stride length and cadence increased by a comparable degree. Mean power output during stair climbing doubled, and both before and after arthroplasty bore a linear relationship to the maximal walking speed.
D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006622:Hip Prosthesis; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009068:Movement; D010003:Osteoarthritis / Q000601:surgery*; D010101:Oxygen Consumption; D005082:Physical Exertion; D013996:Time and Motion Studies