Constantinou M1, Loureiro A2, Carty C3,4, Barrett R3
1Australian Catholic University, Discipline of Physiotherapy, Faculty of Health Sciences, Banyo, Brisbane, Australia, 2University of Rio dos Sinos, Faculty of Physical Education and Sports, São Leopoldo, Brazil, 3Griffith University, School of Allied Health Sciences and Menzies Health Institute Queensland, Gold Coast, Australia, 4Queensland Children’s Motion Analysis Service, Children's Health Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
Background: Hip osteoarthritis is a common musculoskeletal condition with no known cure, often causing pain, stiffness and functional limitation. Individuals with hip osteoarthritis exhibit gait dysfunction in the early and advanced stages of the disease. However, there is limited information on the extent of gait function declines in individuals with mild-to-moderate hip osteoarthritis, with only one prospective study indicating that those who did not undergo a total hip replacement did not exhibit any gait declines at 6-7 years follow-up. Understanding gait function changes in early stages of the disease may be useful in guiding intervention programs to retrain gait and improve function, and possibly delaying the need for a total hip replacement.
Purpose: The purpose of this 12-month prospective study was to determine the changes in gait mechanics in individuals with mild-to-moderate hip osteoarthritis compared to healthy controls.
Methods: Twenty-One Individuals with symptomatic and radiographic mild-to-moderate hip osteoarthritis and 21 age-matched healthy controls participated in the study, having undergone a radiographic hip evaluation and having completed the Harris Hip Score questionnaire. The participants completed two testing sessions of comprehensive 3-dimensional gait analysis at self-selected gait speed, 2 months apart. Changes in lower limb gait spatial-temporal, kinematic and kinetic variables were assessed over the 12-month follow-up and adjusted for group differences at baseline.
Results: Individuals with the mild-to-moderate hip osteoarthritis experienced greater reductions in gait function, with reduced self-selected gait speed over the 12-months compared to the healthy control group. There was no evidence of declines in the hip osteoarthritis symptomatic or radiographic scores in either group.
Conclusion(s): Subtle gait declines are evident in individuals with mild-to-moderate hip osteoarthritis at 12-month follow-up relative to healthy controls, with no evidence of symptomatic or radiographic progression of hip osteoarthritis.
Implications: Early intervention to address gait function and prevent further gait declines in individuals with mild-to-moderate hip osteoarthritis appears necessary.
Keywords: Hip osteoarthritis, Gait function, Gait speed
Funding acknowledgements: National Health Medical Research Council Postgraduate Research Scholarship
Fellowship Funds Incorporated Ltd Fellowships
Griffith University Postgraduate-Scholarship
Griffith Health Institute grant
Purpose: The purpose of this 12-month prospective study was to determine the changes in gait mechanics in individuals with mild-to-moderate hip osteoarthritis compared to healthy controls.
Methods: Twenty-One Individuals with symptomatic and radiographic mild-to-moderate hip osteoarthritis and 21 age-matched healthy controls participated in the study, having undergone a radiographic hip evaluation and having completed the Harris Hip Score questionnaire. The participants completed two testing sessions of comprehensive 3-dimensional gait analysis at self-selected gait speed, 2 months apart. Changes in lower limb gait spatial-temporal, kinematic and kinetic variables were assessed over the 12-month follow-up and adjusted for group differences at baseline.
Results: Individuals with the mild-to-moderate hip osteoarthritis experienced greater reductions in gait function, with reduced self-selected gait speed over the 12-months compared to the healthy control group. There was no evidence of declines in the hip osteoarthritis symptomatic or radiographic scores in either group.
Conclusion(s): Subtle gait declines are evident in individuals with mild-to-moderate hip osteoarthritis at 12-month follow-up relative to healthy controls, with no evidence of symptomatic or radiographic progression of hip osteoarthritis.
Implications: Early intervention to address gait function and prevent further gait declines in individuals with mild-to-moderate hip osteoarthritis appears necessary.
Keywords: Hip osteoarthritis, Gait function, Gait speed
Funding acknowledgements: National Health Medical Research Council Postgraduate Research Scholarship
Fellowship Funds Incorporated Ltd Fellowships
Griffith University Postgraduate-Scholarship
Griffith Health Institute grant
Topic: Musculoskeletal: lower limb; Orthopaedics
Ethics approval required: Yes
Institution: Griffith University
Ethics committee: Griffith University and Queensland Health Human Research Ethics Committees
Ethics number: PES/23/08/HREC, PES/46/13/HREC, HREC/13/QHC/1614)
All authors, affiliations and abstracts have been published as submitted.
