Joint kinematics and kinetics during walking and running in 32 patients with hip dysplasia 1 year after periacetabular osteotomy

Background and purpose
Hip dysplasia can be treated with periacetabular osteotomy (PAO). We compared joint angles and joint moments during walking and running in young adults with
hip dysplasia prior to and 6 and 12 months after PAO with those in healthy controls.

Patients and methods
Joint kinematics and kinetics were recorded using a 3-D motion capture system. The pre- and postoperative gait characteristics quantified as the peak hip extension angle and the peak joint moment of hip flexion were compared in 23 patients with hip dysplasia (18–53 years old). Similarly, the gait patterns of the patients were compared with those of 32 controls (18–54 years old).

Results
During walking, the peak hip extension angle and the peak hip flexion moment were significantly smaller at baseline in the patients than in the healthy controls. The peak hip flexion moment increased 6 and 12 months after PAO relative to baseline during walking, and 6 months after PAO relative to baseline during running. For running, the improvement did not reach statistical significance at 12 months. In addition, the peak hip extension angle during walking increased 12 months after PAO, though not statistically significantly. There were no statistically significant differences in peak hip extension angle and peak hip flexion moment between the patients and the healthy controls after 12 months.

Interpretation
Walking and running characteristics improved after PAO in patients with symptomatic hip dysplasia, although gait modifications were still present 12 months postoperatively.