Mechanical energy fluctuation in lower limbs during walking in participants with and without total hip replacement

Mechanical energy fluctuation of the segments in the lower limbs during walking has not been fully investigated. It was hypothesised that the segments of the lower limbs may work as a pendulum, i.e., the kinetic and potential energies exchanged out of phase. This study aimed to investigate energy changes and recovery during gait in hip replacement patients. The gait data for 12 participants with total hip replacement and 12 age-matched controls were compared. The kinetic, potential, and rotative energies for the whole lower limb and thigh, calf, and foot, were calculated. The effectiveness of a pendulum effect was analysed. Gait parameters, e.g., walking speeds, cadence, and stride length were calculated. The results showed that the thigh had significant effectiveness as a pendulum during gait with an energy recovery coefficient of approximately 40% while the calf and foot were less like a pendulum during gait. In comparison, energy recoveries of the lower limbs in the two groups were n..., The original data were collected using Vicon motion capture system. The data processing was carried out using Vicon Nexus and Matlab. The statistical analysis was carried out using Spss v 28.,