Biomechanical analysis of the Chiari pelvic osteotomy. Preserving hip abductor strength

Although the Chiari osteotomy is usually effective in reducing pain, many patients are left with a long-term limp. The postoperative limp can at times be caused by hip abductors that have strength insufficient to counteract the torque from body weight during single-leg stance. To study how the surgical technique affects the hip abductor muscles, a biomechanical model was developed that computes the postsurgery pelvic geometry and the resulting hip abductor torque given three surgical parameters: angulation of the osteotomy, distance of medical displacement, and angle of internal rotation. The computer simulations of the Chiari osteotomy showed that some sets of surgical parameters conserve abductor torque while others greatly reduce it. Simulated surgeries with high angulation and large medial displacement reduce gluteus medius abductor torque by up to 65%. Therefore, this combination of surgical parameters may account for some instances of the postoperative limp. In the model, high angulation reduces the length of the gluteus medius and is the primary cause of reduced abductor strength. Simulated horizontal osteotomies (0 degrees to 10 degrees) were found to best conserve both muscle length and abductor torque.