Hip resurfacing generates a more physiological gait than total hip replacement: A case-control study

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic surgery
• Biomechanics
• Gait analysis

Background:

• Restoring constitutional hip joint anatomy post-replacement is crucial for function.
• Hip resurfacing (HR) and total hip replacement (THR) differ in anatomical reconstruction.
• Investigating gait performance differences between HR and THR is essential.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare gait performance between HR and THR.
• To determine if HR better restores frontal hip anatomical parameters and gait physiology.
• To assess if anatomical restoration quality influences THR gait performance.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of 52 patients (40 THR, 12 HR) with primary osteoarthritis.
• Measurement of hip anatomical parameters on standing pelvic radiographs.
• Gait assessment under normal and stress conditions at 14-month follow-up.

Main Results:

• HR tended to decrease anatomical parameters, THR tended to increase them; significant differences in femoral and global horizontal offset.
• Only 50% of THR and 25% of HR accurately recreated offsets.
• HR showed more symmetric gait (2.09%) than THR (5.74%) under stress, though not statistically significant.

Conclusions:

• HR is more consistent in achieving physiological gait under stress compared to THR.
• Radiographic assessment of anatomical restoration quality has limited predictive value for THR gait performance.