Walking efficiency before and after total hip replacement

The energy cost of walking and gait characteristics of patients with hip disease were studied to determine changes in walking efficiency following total hip replacement. Twenty-nine patients, 24 with unilateral hip disease and 5 with bilateral hip disease, were tested preoperatively and at various times postoperatively. Oxygen uptake was measured by a modified Douglas bag procedure. The temporal and distance characteristics of gait were measured with contact closing heel switches. Results showed postoperative increases in velocity, cadence, and stride length in patients with unilateral disease and with bilateral disease with bilateral replacement. After surgery, energy cost tended toward more normal levels, but the subjects were not within normal limits for oxygen uptake per minute, oxygen uptake per distance walked, or percent of predicted maximum aerobic capacity. Comparison of energy expenditure data with temporal and distance factors of gait indicated that all subjects became more physiologically efficient after hip replacement.