Alpine Skiing With total knee ArthroPlasty (ASWAP): effects on gait asymmetries

The aim of the study was to examine the effect of a 12-week recreational skiing intervention on functional gait performance in people with unilateral total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Twenty-three older adults (71 ± 5 years) were assigned to the intervention (IG) or control group (CG). Test time and ground reaction forces (GRF) were recorded at pre- and post-intervention and in the retention phase during functional gait tests. Ground contact was recorded bilaterally and divided into the weight acceptance and push-off phases. In IG, a faster stair descent time (16%) was observed at post-test with no further change at the retention test. The asymmetry indices for all analyzed variables were decreased in stair descent and during weight acceptance in stair ascent and level walking without further changes between post- and retention test. The reduced asymmetries occurred mainly because of increased loading of the operated leg. Most variables were unchanged in CG. Similar to the force data, the asymmetry index for temporal stride characteristics was reduced in all stair descent variables. These results demonstrate that alpine skiing as a leisure-time activity has a beneficial effect on gait performance and leads to a more balanced load distribution between the legs during daily activities.