Kinematic Gait Analysis After Primary Total Hip Replacement: A Systematic Review: Gait After Total Hip Replacement: A Systematic Review

Total hip replacement (THR) is a surgical procedure indicated for patients affected by severe hip osteoarthritis. Although this technique has proved to be effective in relieving pain and restoring function, gait limitations may persist following this procedure. The objective of this systematic review was to evaluate gait kinematics after THR and compare the results with those of the pre-operative state and with healthy control individuals. PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science, CENTRAL and Scopus databases were searched until December 2019. Methodological quality and internal validity score of each study were assessed using the PEDro and the Newcastle-Ottawa scales. In all, ten studies met our inclusion criteria. Following THR, statistically significant improvements were seen in dynamic hip and knee range of motion of both the affected and the contralateral limb, single-limb support time symmetry, step length, stride length, walking speed and gait pattern. However, deficits were observed in all the previous parameters, as well as in hip adduction angle in comparison with healthy subjects. In conclusion, gait patterns improve after THR in comparison with the pre-operative state, although there are deficits relative to healthy individuals.