Background: Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is the treatment of choice for end-stage knee osteoarthritis. Postoperative static knee alignment has been recognized as a key component of successful surgery. A correction toward the kinematics of a native knee is expected after TKA, with an aim for neutral mechanical alignment. The evolution of frontal plane knee kinematics is not well understood.
Methods: Nineteen patients awaiting TKA were recruited. Three-dimensional knee kinematics during treadmill gait were assessed pre-operatively, 12 months after surgery, and compared to a control group of 17 asymptomatic participants.
Results: Mean radiographic mechanical alignment was corrected from 5.4° ± 5.0 (Standard Deviation) varus pre-operatively to 0.1° ± 2.0 (Standard Deviation) valgus postoperatively (P = 0.002). Mean stance coronal plane alignment decreased from 6.7° ± 4.0 (Standard Deviation) varus per-operatively to 2.1° ± 3.8 (Standard Deviation) postoperatively (P = 0.001). Correlation between radiographic mechanical axis angle and dynamic frontal plane alignment during gait, before and after surgery, was weak (pre-operative R = 0.41; postoperative R = 0.13) compared to control (R = 0.88). In the sagittal plane, TKA patients maintained their pre-operative stiff knee gait adaptation. Postoperative transverse plane kinematics suggested restoration of external tibial rotation during swing after TKA compared to control (Pre-operative 3.1°, postoperative 6.8°, control 7.1°, P = 0.05).
Conclusion: The lack of correlation between static and dynamic alignment suggests that static radiographic coronal alignment of the knee does not accurately predict dynamic behavior. In the sagittal plane, pre-operative gait adaptations were still present 12 months after surgery, supporting the need for a functional assessment to guide postoperative rehabilitation following TKA.
Keywords: 3D kinematics; Alignment; Gait analysis; HKA; TKA.
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