Gait in the early days after total knee and hip arthroplasty: a comparison.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate whether gait after Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA) is different from gait after Total Hip Arthroplasty (THA) in the early days following surgical intervention.


METHODS
The gait was studied in water, thus exploiting its buoyancy force. Twenty consecutive patients underwent TKA and twenty consecutive patients underwent THA. The mean age was 70.2 years (SD 6.9). Twenty age-matched volunteers were the control group.


RESULTS
At the beginning TKA and THA patients had the same speed and the same step length. At day 15 there was a speed difference in favour of THA patients (t = - 2.245, df 38, p = 0.031). Likewise, the step length was longer in THA patients (t = -2.293 df 38, p = 0.027). In contrast to TKA patients, THA patients were unbalanced, having a longer stance phase on the non-operated leg and a longer swing on the contralateral one.


CONCLUSIONS
Gait strategies were completely different after TKA and THA interventions. TKA patients were balanced over their feet and they appeared more cautious and more concerned about gait quality than moving quickly. By contrast, THA patients were unbalanced, having a longer stance phase on the non-operated leg and a longer swing on the contralateral one. However, their speed gain was higher.
Giaquinto
Salvatore
S
IRCCS San Raffaele Pisana, via della Pisana235, IT-00163, Rome, Italy. salvatore.giaquinto@sanraffaele.it
Ciotola
Elena
E
Margutti
Ferdinando
F
D000368:Aged; D019644:Arthroplasty, Replacement, Hip; D019645:Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D005684:Gait / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007101:Immersion; D008297:Male; D011184:Postoperative Period; D004856:Postural Balance / Q000502:physiology