Increased Loading Rates During Gait Correlate With Morphology of Unaffected Hip in Juveniles With Treated Developmental Hip Dysplasia

Long-term follow-up studies on children with surgically treated developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) have shown that not only affected side progresses to premature osteoarthritis, but unaffected may also suffer from insidious or osteonecrosis. The current gait analysis study identified loading and unloading rates ground reaction forces (GRF) lower limb joint axial during gait, their correlations morphology in twenty juvenile patients unilateral DDH toddlerhood. In a laboratory, each subject walked at preferred speed 10-m walkway while kinematics GRF were measured. Loading vertical obtained as maximum instantaneous slope these force curves. Radiographic measurements hips taken, between morphological parameters obtained. showed greater-than-normal peak forces, both sides strongly correlated acetabular index side, which was significantly side. These results suggest apart regular hip, routine assessment changes and/or increased is important for early identification any signs risk degeneration cartilage.