Knee Arthroplasty and Gait: Effect on Level Walking-An Overview

Area of Science:

• Orthopedics
• Biomechanics
• Gait Analysis

Background:

• Knee arthroplasty (KA) aims to restore function and alleviate pain.
• Assessing gait changes post-KA is crucial for understanding recovery and treatment effectiveness.

Purpose of the Study:

• To summarize gait alterations during unaided level walking after knee arthroplasty (KA).
• To identify recommendations for future clinical practice and research based on existing reviews.

Main Methods:

• A systematic review of reviews (RoR) was conducted using PubMed and Google Scholar.
• Included studies were published in English since 2010 and assessed for quality using AMSTAR-2.

Main Results:

• Limited evidence suggests gait does not normalize post-KA, but spatiotemporal parameters improve mid-to-long term.
• Unicompartmental KA showed no benefits over total KA or healthy controls.
• Study quality was critically low, necessitating cautious interpretation of findings.

Conclusions:

• Significant knowledge gaps and limitations exist in current gait assessment research post-KA.
• Heterogeneity in methods and reporting requires standardization for future studies.
• Further high-quality research is essential to understand gait recovery after knee arthroplasty.