Khaberni - Scientists have discovered that the ability to maintain a comfortable walking pace is a key factor in determining the outcome of the surgery and the recovery period.
A new study by Kyushu University in Japan tested the walking speed of patients before hip replacement surgery, where they were asked to walk approximately 52 feet. According to "Daily Mail", researchers found that those who could walk at a moderate speed of one meter per second, or 2.2 miles per hour, or more, were much more likely to report positive outcomes and smoother recovery.
The researchers specifically studied patients with osteoarthritis, a condition involving the breakdown and eventual loss of joint cartilage, who needed a complete replacement of the hip joint with an artificial one.
Walking as a sole indicator
Among the factors that affected patient outcomes, such as age and pain level, walking speed was the only significant indicator for excellent surgical results.
Also, patients who could keep up a walking pace were less likely to think about, or notice, their new hip joint in the years following the surgery. Walking speed is a vital composite indicator of a patient's overall health, with a healthy average being about 1.3 meters per second (3 miles per hour).
What does walking measure?
Walking speed measures leg strength, stability, coordination while walking, pain level during movement, and cardiovascular fitness. The results showed that testing walking speed, before moving the patient to the surgery table, is the single most useful indicator for joint pain and function a full year after hip replacement surgery.
In the study, the researchers used a machine learning algorithm to impartially classify patients into groups based on their long-term recovery scores. When they analyzed pre-surgery data to identify predictive factors for membership in the excellent outcome group, walking speed was the only significant factor.
One meter per second
Patients who walked faster than one meter per second before the surgery were approximately 6 times more likely to join the excellent outcome group. A walking speed of 0.7 meters per second was associated with achieving an acceptable level of pain relief and improved functional performance.
However, the most ambitious limit was associated with patients largely forgetting their artificial joint, a hallmark of the best possible outcome. Finally, the study identified physical traits that allow for greater speed before surgery, finding that better hip flexibility, stronger hip muscles, and lower pain levels were each independently associated with faster walking, revealing adjustable factors contributing to achieving the main recovery goal.
