Article

The objective of this study was to test if patients with unilateral hip
osteoarthritis (OA) show greater muscle activity asymmetry between their affected
and non-affected limbs than healthy controls between their left and right limbs.
Seventeen patients with unilateral hip OA (7 females,
10 males) and 17
age-matched healthy controls
(7 females, 10 males) participated in this study.
Both groups performed instrumented gait analysis at comparable speeds.
Muscle activity was recorded simultaneously for the tibialis anterior (TA),
gastrocnemius medialis (GM), vastus lateralis (VL), semitendinosus (ST), tensor
fasciae latae (TFL), and gluteus medius (GLM) muscles. In hip OA patients, EMG
data showed greater activity of the TA muscle in the non-affected limb, and
greater TFL muscle activity in the affected limb. Compared to healthy controls,
greater asymmetries between paired limbs were observed for the TA and GM muscles.
Finally, the TFL muscle of the affected limb contributed more to the total limb
muscle activity than did the non-affected limb. The observed alterations in TA
and GM muscle activity in hip OA patients may be due to the greater peak braking
and peak vertical forces measured in the non-affected limb. Contrary to this,
greater TLF muscle activity of the affected limb indicates the demands put on
stabilizing the hip during stance phase. Further studies are necessary to test
whether leg length discrepancy affects muscle activation alterations between the
affected and non-affected limb in unilateral hip OA patients.
CI - Copyright (c) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Langue : ANGLAIS