Affiliations: [a] Health Sciences Major, Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima 734-8551, Japan | [b] Department of Rehabilitation, Hayashi Hospital, Hiroshima 730-0029, Japan | [c] Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima 734-8551, Japan | [d] Laboratory of Analysis and Control of Upper Extremity Function, Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima 734-8551, Japan | [e] Department of Rehabilitation, Hiroshima University Hospital, Hiroshima 734-8551, Japan | [f] Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Aichi Medical University, Aichi 480-1195, Japan
Correspondence:
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Corresponding author: Wataru Kuwahara, Health Sciences Major, Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, 1-2-3 Kasumi, Minami-ku, Hiroshima 734-8553, Japan. Tel./Fax: +81 82 257 5457; E-mail: wkuwahara1228@gmail.com.
Abstract: BACKGROUND: Previous studies have indicated that the kinematics of the knee joint affect the trunk and pelvis during gait. However, the factors that influence trunk movement in knee osteoarthritis patients during gait after surgery remain unclear. OBJECTIVE: To examine the effect of total knee arthroplasty (TKA) on trunk movement during gait by comparing knee osteoarthritis patients with healthy controls. METHODS: Fourteen medial knee osteoarthritis patients who underwent initial unilateral TKA and 11 controls participated in this study. Knee and hip joint flexion and trunk and pelvic tilts during gait were acquired using a three-dimensional motion analysis system. Knee joint range of motion, pain, and kinematic data were collected preoperatively and 1 year postoperatively for knee osteoarthritis patients. RESULTS: Knee extension limitation and pain significantly improved postoperatively compared with preoperative stages. Preoperatively, the peak anterior trunk tilt during the stance phase was significantly larger in osteoarthritis patients than in controls. The peak anterior trunk tilt during the stance phase was significantly smaller postoperatively than at preoperative stages. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that after TKA, the trunk movements of knee osteoarthritis patients were approximately equal to those of controls, with improvement in clinical outcomes such as knee extension limitation and pain.
