Bilateral hip stability variation in the functional ambulation and kinetic parameters after total hip arthroplasty during leveled walking

Objectives: This study determines gender variation, comparing the significance
level between men and women related to functional ambulation characteristics
after hip arthroplasty. The study focuses on the broader female pelvis and how it
affects the rehabilitation regimen following total hip arthroplasty.
Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 20 cases of right hip
arthroplasty were divided into 10 male and 10 female cases, aged
40–65 years. The functional ambulation parameters (walking cadence, gait
speed, stride length, and gait cycle time) were acquired from the GAITRite
device, as well as kinematic values for hip frontal plane displacement and
kinetic parameters for ground response force in the medial–lateral direction.
Results: An independent t-test showed a significant difference in the kinematic
parameter variables for the anterior superior iliac spine, more significant
trochanter displacement, and hip abduction angle between the operated and
non-operated limbs for each group separately. Regarding the functional
ambulation parameters, there was a significant difference in the walking
cadence between the operated and non-operated limbs of both male and
female groups. Moreover, the output variables of ground reaction force
measures revealed significant differences between their operated and nonoperated limbs. The linear regression model used was consistent with the
current results, demonstrating a weak negative correlation between the
abduction angle of the operated hip and gait speed for both male and
female groups.
Conclusion: Based on the findings, we draw the conclusion that improving a
rehabilitated physical therapy program for the abductors of both male and female
patients’ operated and non-operated limbs is essential for normalizing the ground reaction force value, avoiding focus on the operated hip, and reducing the
amount of time that the operated hip’s abductors must perform. This involves
exposing the surgically repaired limb to the risk of post-operative displacement or
dislocation, particularly in female patients.