Effect of a walking program on gait characteristics in patients with osteoarthritis.

This paper reports the results of a study of the gait of 102 patients with osteoarthritis of the knee. Functional status was measured by a 6-min test of walking distance; the stride characteristics associated with the walk test were assessed. Stride characteristics were measured by a Stride Analyzer. Patients were randomized to an 8-week educational and walking program (the intervention group) or to a weekly telephone survey (the control group). The intervention group patients had a 15% increase in walking distance (P < 0.0001) and increases of 9.1% in stride length at free walking speeds (P < 0.007) and 17% in stride length at fast walking speeds (P < 0.01) compared to the control group. The results of this study have shown that the walking and educational program was effective in improving gait function in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee.