Gait, quality of life, and their association following total hip arthroplasty

Purpose: Total hip arthroplasty (THA) surgery is one of the most common orthopedic procedures performed on individuals with end-stage osteoarthritis of the hip. This study: (1) compared temporal spatial gait parameters and quality of life (QOL) scores of individuals with unilateral total hip arthroplasty (THA) to those of healthy older adults ages 65 to 85 years and (2) explored the relationship between the variables. Methods: Three dimensional motion analysis was used to calculate walking velocity, cadence, stride length, single support time, and double support time. All participants completed the Medical Outcome Survey Short Form 36 Health Survey (SF 36®) to measure health related QOL subscales. Results: The individuals with THA walked slower (P = .005) with a longer double support phase (P = .02) and rated physical functioning (P < .0001) and role physical scores (P = .001) lower than the healthy older adults. For all subjects combined, a positive correlation was identified between walking velocity and physical functioning (P = .001), role-physical scores (P = .001) and bodily pain (P = .001); a negative correlation was identified between double support time and role physical score (P = .002) and bodily pain (P = .002). Conclusion: Individuals who undergo THA surgery have gait deficits that relate to physical subscales of the SF36®. These findings provide guidance for physical therapy interventions focused on gait performance after THA.