摘要：Highlights
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Replaced limb had lower knee extension moment than healthy limb in downhill walking.
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Replaced limb had lower knee extension moment than non-replaced limb in downhill walking.
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Knee extension moment increased across all slopes between 0° and 15° in total knee replacement patients.
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Downhill walking may not be included in early stage rehabilitation after the surgery.
Purpose
The purpose of this study was to compare knee biomechanics of the replaced limb to the non-replaced limb of total knee replacement (TKR) patients and healthy controls during walking on level ground and on decline surfaces of 5°, 10°, and 15°.
Methods
Twenty-five TKR patients and 10 healthy controls performed 5 walking trials on different decline slopes on a force platform and an instrumented ramp system. Two analyses of variance, 2 × 2 (limb × group) and 2 × 4 (limb × decline slope), were used to examine selected biomechanics variables.
Results
The replaced limb of TKR patients had lower peak loading-response and push-off knee extension moment than the non-replaced and the matched limb of healthy controls. No differences were found in loading-response and push-off knee internal abduction moments among replaced, non-replaced, and matched limb of healthy controls. The knee flexion range of motion, peak loading-response vertical ground reaction force, and peak knee extension moment increased across all slope comparisons between 0° and 15° in both the replaced and non-replaced limb of TKR patients.
Conclusion
Downhill walking may not be appropriate to include in early stage rehabilitation exercise protocols for TKR patients.
Graphical Abstract
Image, graphical abstract
