Mechanical energy fluctuation in lower limbs during walking in participants with and without total hip replacement.

Abstract

Mechanical energy fluctuation of the segments of lower limbs during walking has not been fully investigated. It was hypothesized that the segments may work as a pendulum, i.e. the kinetic and potential energies exchanged out of phase. This study aimed to investigate energy changes and recovery during gait in hip replacement patients. The gait data for 12 participants with total hip replacement and 12 age-matched control was compared. The kinetic, potential and rotative energies for whole lower limb and thigh, calf and foot, were calculated. The effectiveness of a pendulum effect was analysed. Gait parameters (speeds and cadence) were calculated. The results showed that the thigh had significant effectiveness as a pendulum during gait with energy recovery coefficient of approximately 40% while the calf and foot were less like a pendulum during gait. In comparison, energy recoveries of lower limbs in the two groups were not significantly different. If the pelvis was considered as an approximate to the centre of mass, however, the control group had a higher energy recovery than total-hip-replacement group by roughly 10%. This study concluded that, unlike centre of mass energy recovery, the mechanical energy recovery mechanism in the lower limbs during walking is not affected after total hip replacement.