Biomechanical analysis of gait in patients with painful osteoarthritis of the hip treated with WISH-type hip brace.
BACKGROUND
A hip brace, the WISH-type S-form brace, improved hip function scores markedly in patients with painful hip osteoarthritis (OA). To evaluate the biomechanical effects of the brace, gait analysis using a force plate was performed.


METHODS
For the gait of seven patients with this hip brace, characteristic parameters calculated from three-dimensional (i.e., vertical, forward, and medial) components of the floor reaction force were analyzed using a flat force plate.


RESULTS
Gait analyses revealed several tendencies: a shorter time for one step, a stronger step, and a shift of the center of gravity of the body to the contralateral side. In particular, stronger vertical reaction force at the first peak in the early stance and earlier switch from backward to forward reaction force vectors were observed as effects of the hip brace, with statistically significant difference.


CONCLUSIONS
These biomechanical assessments suggest that abnormal gait in hip OA may be closer to normal gait in patients using this brace, although the deceleration and weighing-off effects, which are indicators useful for observing gait recovery, did not reach significance.
Yamaji
Takehiko
T
Department of Physical Therapy, Gunma University School of Health Science, Maebashi, Gunma, Japan.
Usuda
Shigeru
S
Sato
Ena
E
Sato
Takahisa
T
Sekino
Yuko
Y
Watanabe
Hideomi
H
D000328:Adult; D018771:Arthralgia / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D001915:Braces; D005260:Female; D005684:Gait / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015207:Osteoarthritis, Hip / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D010147:Pain Measurement; D011379:Prognosis; D011859:Radiography; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular / Q000502:physiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D012494:Sampling Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D016896:Treatment Outcome