Vertical ground reaction forces: objective measures of gait following hip arthroplasty.

After hip arthroplasty, many patients continue to exhibit abnormal gait patterns. The purpose of this study was to compare the vertical ground reaction forces of a group of 27 individuals who have undergone hip arthroplasty with a group of 35 normal control subjects. Specific force measures were determined from vertical ground reaction forces collected on a treadmill instrumented with two force plates. Symmetry indices were calculated on both groups of subjects. First and second peak forces, loading rate, impulse, and stance time were significantly less, while time to first peak force was significantly greater on the affected leg of the hip arthroplasty subjects when compared to their unaffected leg, or to the control group. The hip arthroplasty group showed greater asymmetry of ground reaction forces than the control group did. Bilateral asymmetric limb loading persists well after unilateral hip replacement surgery. Ground reaction force measures have been shown to be an effective means of quantifying the antalgic gait of hip arthroplasty patients.