Article

Knee osteoarthritis is one of the most frequent indications for total knee
replacement (TKR). Unfortunately, many patients still have difficulties during
daily life activities after TKR.
As the underlying causes of these difficulties
are still not fully understood, especially with regard to the role of aberrant
muscle activation profiles, the purpose of this study was to examine to what
extent muscle activation patterns return to normal after TKR. Furthermore, we
aimed to further discuss remaining differences by linking them to pre- and
post-operative measurements of the knee and hip kinetics and kinematics during
multiple functional motor tasks. Therefore, muscle activity, kinetics and
kinematics of knee and hip were measured and analyzed in seven patients during a
number of functional tasks by using electromyography and three-dimensional motion
analysis. Measurements were performed one week before and one year after surgery.
Results were compared to seven matched healthy controls.
The analyzed functional
tasks included walking at self-selected speed, walking followed by a crossover
and a sidestep turn, step descent and ascent. This study suggested that, while
muscle activation profiles in patients one year after TKR did return to normal
during walking, this was not the case during more demanding motor tasks. These
findings may have direct implications for the design of future rehabilitation
programs in order to result in faster recovery and ultimately more functional
patients after TKR.
CI - Copyright (c) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Langue : ANGLAIS