Assessing inter-joint coordination during gait in hip osteoarthritis

Area of Science:

• Biomechanics
• Motor Control
• Orthopedics

Background:

• Hip osteoarthritis (HOA) causes compensatory gait changes like trunk bending.
• Assessing multi-joint coordination is crucial for understanding HOA and rehabilitation.
• Traditional methods inadequately evaluate joint coordination in HOA.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate inter-joint coordination differences in hip osteoarthritis (HOA) patients during gait.
• To utilize Uncontrolled Manifold (UCM) analysis for assessing frontal-plane center of mass (CoM) control in HOA.
• To compare motor control strategies between HOA patients and asymptomatic individuals.

Main Methods:

• Data from 80 asymptomatic individuals and 106 HOA patients were analyzed.
• Uncontrolled Manifold (UCM) analysis was applied using segment angles and frontal-plane CoM.
• Variances V_UCM, V_ORT, and synergy index ΔV_Z were calculated and compared between groups.

Main Results:

• HOA patients exhibited significantly higher V_UCM and V_ORT compared to controls (p < 0.05).
• No significant difference was found in the synergy index ΔV_Z between the groups (p > 0.05).

Conclusions:

• HOA patients maintain consistent CoM control synergy (ΔV_Z) despite increased movement variances (V_UCM, V_ORT).
• This suggests altered, but coordinated, multi-joint strategies are employed to manage hip dysfunction.
• Findings inform rehabilitation by highlighting motor control adaptations in HOA.