# Evaluating Gait Quality in People with Hip Osteoarthritis During Habitual and Fast Walking Using a Trunk Inertial Measurement Unit in Clinical Settings

## TL;DR

People with hip osteoarthritis show reduced gait symmetry and stability during normal and fast walking, with limited ability to adapt, as measured by a trunk sensor in clinical settings.

## Contribution

A single trunk IMU effectively captures gait impairments in hip OA patients, providing biomechanical insights beyond traditional speed-based assessments.

## Key findings

- Hip OA patients show reduced gait symmetry and stability during habitual walking with vertical impairments.
- During fast walking, hip OA patients maintain reduced step symmetry but not stability, with limited gait adaptation.
- Hip OA patients exhibit constrained mediolateral gait and limited adjustments when transitioning from habitual to fast walking.

## Abstract

What are the main findings?
Hip osteoarthritis reduces gait symmetry and stability and shows vertical gait impairments during habitual walkingAt fast walk, hip osteoarthritis reduces step symmetry but not stability

Hip osteoarthritis reduces gait symmetry and stability and shows vertical gait impairments during habitual walking

At fast walk, hip osteoarthritis reduces step symmetry but not stability

What are the implications of the main findings?
A single trunk sensor effectively captures hip osteoarthritis gait quality in clinicsIMU-derived gait quality parameters provide additional biomechanical detail beyond speed-based clinical tests

A single trunk sensor effectively captures hip osteoarthritis gait quality in clinics

IMU-derived gait quality parameters provide additional biomechanical detail beyond speed-based clinical tests

Hip osteoarthritis (OA) affects the entire joint and significantly alters gait. Assessing gait through a single trunk inertial measurement unit (IMU) in clinical settings offers a more practical alternative to complex laboratory settings, allowing for the capture of natural gait movements with valuable biomechanical insights. We evaluated (1) whether gait quality differs between individuals with hip OA and healthy controls during habitual and fast walking, (2) whether gait changes from habitual to fast walking differ between groups. Forty individuals with hip OA and 40 age-matched healthy controls underwent 25-m habitual walk and 40-m fast walk. Six gait quality parameters—step symmetry, stride symmetry, stability, smoothness, regularity, and complexity—were analyzed from the IMU signals. During habitual walking, individuals with hip OA exhibited reduced symmetry and stability and several vertical impairments. During fast walking, individuals with hip OA continued to show reduced step symmetry and a more constrained gait in the mediolateral direction. Additionally, people with hip OA also showed limited adjustments when transitioning from habitual to fast walking, in contrast to the significant adjustments observed in healthy controls. These findings indicate that gait in individuals with hip OA is impaired during habitual and fast walking, with limited adaptations across the transition between the two conditions.