title: Long-term data of gait characteristics and moment-knee angle relations in female total knee arthroplasty patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Despite the clinical success of total knee arthroplasty, impaired gait patterns and quadriceps and hamstring maximal voluntary force production might persist years post-surgery. Long-term data of gait patterns and quadriceps and hamstring maximal force production are rarely published with total knee arthroplasty patients. This work examined gait characteristics and the moment-knee angle relations of the knee extensors and flexors about 10 years post-total knee arthroplasty.
  
  
  METHODS
  About a decade post-surgery, 10 female total knee arthroplasty patients (64 years, mobile-bearing inlay) and 10 age-matched female controls were examined. Sagittal plane kinematics in the hip and knee joint during treadmill walking at 2 kilometres per hour were recorded using motion analysis. Spatiotemporal gait parameters were analyzed at self-selected walking speeds with a pressure-platform. The unilateral isometric moment-knee angle relations of the knee extensors and flexors and the electromyographic knee angle relation of the quadriceps were studied using dynamometry. Due to group differences for body mass index values, univariate analysis of variance (main effect: group, secondary effect: body mass index) was used for statistical analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Total knee arthroplasty patients demonstrated significant (P<0.05) gait deficits during constant and self-selected walking speeds and lower average absolute values in the moment-knee angle relations of the knee extensors and flexors. Significant (P<0.05) lower body-mass-normalized knee extension moments were detected at all knee joint positions for the patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Long-term impairments of gait characteristics and maximal voluntary force production, especially for the knee extensors, might persist after total knee arthroplasty.
authors: Department of Biomechanics, Olympic Training and Research Centre of Rheinland-Pfalz/Saarland, Bad Kreuznach, Germany. Electronic address: b.ullrich@olympiastuetzpunkt.org.
authors: Boris
authors: B
authors: Ullrich
authors: Department of Orthopedic Surgery and Sports Medicine, Diakonie Hospital, Bad Kreuznach, Germany.
authors: Jens
authors: J
authors: Stening
authors: Department of Biomechanics, Olympic Training and Research Centre of Rheinland-Pfalz/Saarland, Bad Kreuznach, Germany.
authors: Thiemo
authors: T
authors: Pelzer
authors: Department of Orthopedic Surgery and Sports Medicine, Diakonie Hospital, Bad Kreuznach, Germany.
authors: Jana
authors: J
authors: Raab
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D019645:Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D005080:Exercise Test; D005260:Female; D005684:Gait / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007719:Knee Joint / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000601:surgery; D008875:Middle Aged; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000503:physiopathology; D020370:Osteoarthritis, Knee / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D011184:Postoperative Period; D052097:Quadriceps Muscle / Q000503:physiopathology; D016138:Walking / Q000502:physiology
keywords: EMG; Gait analysis; Knee extensors; Knee flexors; Long term; Neuromuscular function; Total knee arthroplasty