title: Positive outcomes following gait therapy intervention for hip osteoarthritis: A longitudinal study.
abstract: Footwear-generated biomechanical manipulation of lower-limb joints was shown to beneficially impact gait and quality of life in knee osteoarthritis patients, but has not been tested in hip osteoarthritis patients. We examined a customized gait treatment program using a biomechanical device shown in previous investigations to be capable of manipulating hip biomechanics via foot center of pressure (COP) modulation. The objective of this study was to assess the treatment program for hip osteoarthritis patients, enrolled in a 1-year prospective investigation, by means of objective gait and spatiotemporal parameters, and subjective quality of life measures. Gait analysis and completion of questionnaires were performed at the start of the treatment (baseline), and after 3, 6, and 12 months. Outcome parameters were evaluated over time using linear mixed effects models, and association between improvement in quality of life measures and change in objective outcomes was tested using mixed effect linear regression models. Quality of life measures improved compared to baseline, accompanied by increased gait speed and cadence. Sagittal-plane hip joint kinetics, kinematics, and spatiotemporal parameters changed throughout the study compared to baseline, in a manner suggesting improvement of gait. The most substantial improvement occurred within 3 months after treatment initiation, after which improvement approximately plateaued, but was sustained at 12 months. Speed and cadence, as well as several sagittal-plane gait parameters, were significant predictors of improvement in quality of life.
  
  
  
  Evidence suggests that a biomechanical gait therapy program improves subjective and objective outcomes measures and is a valid treatment option for hip osteoarthritis. © 2017 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 35:2222-2232, 2017.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Biorobotics and Biomechanics Lab (BRML), Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 32000, Israel.
authors.forename: Deborah
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Solomonow-Avnon
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Surgery A, Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Ramat-Gan, Israel.
authors.forename: Amir
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Herman
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics B, Rambam Medical Center, Haifa, Israel.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Levin
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Ha'Emek Medical Center, Afula, Israel.
authors.forename: Nimrod
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Rozen
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics B, Rambam Medical Center, Haifa, Israel.
authors.forename: Eli
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Peled
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Biorobotics and Biomechanics Lab (BRML), Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 32000, Israel.
authors.forename: Alon
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wolf
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D061826:Foot Orthoses; D005684:Gait; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008875:Middle Aged; D015207:Osteoarthritis, Hip / Q000628:therapy*; D026741:Physical Therapy Modalities / Q000295:instrumentation*; D011788:Quality of Life
keywords: footwear-generated biomechanical manipulations; gait analysis; gait retraining; hip osteoarthritis; sagittal-plane hip parameters