In Vivo Gait Analysis During Bone Transport

The load bearing characteristics of the intervened limb over time in vivo are important to know in distraction osteogenesis and bone healing for the characterization of the bone maturation process. Gait analyses were performed for a group of sheep in which bone transport was carried out. The ground reaction force was measured by means of a force platform, and the gait parameters (i.e., the peak, the mean vertical ground reaction force and the impulse) were calculated during the stance phase for each limb. The results showed that these gait parameters decreased in the intervened limb and interestingly increased in the other limbs due to the implantation of the fixator. Additionally, during the process, the gait parameters exponentially approached the values for healthy animals. Corresponding radiographies showed an increasing level of ossification in the callus. This study shows, as a preliminary approach to be confirmed with more experiments, that gait analysis could be used as an alternative method to control distraction osteogenesis or bone healing. For example, these analyses could determine the appropriate time to remove the fixator. Furthermore, gait analysis has advantages over other methods because it provides quantitative data and does not require instrumented fixators.