Gait mechanics in the early post-surgery period following total knee arthroplasty

Abstract

Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) surgeries in the United States are estimated to increase to 3.48 million by 2030. The majority of previous TKA gait research involves post-surgery outcomes at two months to eight years after surgery. To date, no previous TKA investigations have involved three dimensional gait analyses as early as three weeks post-surgery. It is important to understand the effect of TKA on kinetic and kinematic variables to reduce the risk of further damage and deterioration of lower extremity joints. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate changes in kinetic and kinematic gait characteristics in TKA subjects during the early post-surgery period, in comparison to a control group. Methods A 2x2 repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) design was used to compare seven TKA subjects and seven healthy, age-matched controls. Gait data including walking velocity, kinetic, and kinematic variables were collected at pre-surgery (PRE) and post-surgery (POST) test periods. Results The repeated measures ANOVA revealed significant differences (p <0.05) between the groups and across test periods for maximum vertical ground reaction force (MVGRF) and maximum knee adduction moment (MKADM). Significant group differences were found regardless of test period for walking velocity and maximum knee varus angle (MKVA). Conclusion Within the limitations of this study relative to the small sample size, gait differences between the TKA and control groups were detected in the early post-surgery period.