Gait parameters of patients with osteoarthritis of the knee joint

It is difficult to identify objective parameters for assessing joint function when evaluating the outcome of orthopaedic procedures, especially endoprosthetic replacement. Spatial and temporal parameters of gait have clinical relevance in the assessment of motor pathologies, particularly in orthopaedics. The objective of this study is to compare gait patterns in patients with unilateral osteoarthritis of the knee joint to the gait pattern of healthy control subjects. A total of 20 patients with severe unilateral osteoarthritis of the knee and 20 healthy elderly subjects without any history of lower extremity joint pathology were investigated at constant gait speeds (two km/h). The gait analysis equipment used consisted of an infinitely adjustable force- instrumented treadmill and an ultrasound-based motion analyzer system with electromyography. Our findings indicate that changes in gait parameters may occur in patients with unilateral osteoarthritis of the knee joint as compared to the gait pattern of healthy control subjects. Knee joint degeneration was compensated for in part by the pelvis and other joints in the lower limb. Reduced motion of the knee joint leads to increased pelvic motion, which should affect the natural mobility of the lumbar spine and cause pain in the lumbar region of the spine due to kinematic interaction.