Patient Story:
A 45-year-old woman had already endured a difficult medical journey. In 2013, brain tumour surgery left her with right-sided hemiparesis. Through rehabilitation, she gradually regained the ability to walk. Sadly, a fall a few years later caused severe knee ligament damage, including both ACL and PCL tears. This led to instability, marked hyperextension and progressive loss of mobility. Eventually, she could no longer walk without significant support.
In December 2024, she underwent a right knee arthroplasty with a hinged prosthesis. While surgery restored some function, she remained reliant on an ankle-foot orthosis (AFO) and manual support. Despite these aids, she continued to face major challenges with balance, stair negotiation and confidence while walking. She was referred for a 3D Gait Analysis at our lab - to objectively assess her gait, alignment and to design a precise rehabilitation plan.
What the 3D Gait Analysis Revealed
The analysis provided precise insights into her walking patterns:
- The dynamic hip-knee-ankle angles suggested good alignment, without harmful joint stresses.
- Barefoot, her walking speed was only 0.60 m/s with short, uneven steps and a wide base of support.
- On the right side, weak dorsiflexors, spastic calf muscles and limited knee flexion made her gait stiff and unsteady. She used a circumductory leg movement with outward foot rotation to clear her foot.
- On the left side, overcompensation caused knee hyperextension and reduced ankle dorsiflexion.
- With the AFO orthosis, her performance, balance and speed improved, but abnormal compensations persisted.
Rehabilitation Roadmap
Based on these findings, a personalized rehabilitation plan was created:
- Strengthening right knee control using open- and closed-chain exercises
- Improving hip-knee coordination while preventing overload on the left side
- PNF gait retraining to minimize abnormal synergies
- Targeted balance training for safer functional movements
- Guidance for family and patient through a structured roadmap to ensure long-term progress
Key Outcomes & Insights
This case highlights how 3D gait analysis goes beyond what the eye can see. It helped identify that her issues were not related to knee arthroplasty malalignments. With tailored therapy, she is now steadily regaining confidence, mobility and independence.
Takeaway
Every patient carries a unique movement story. Using advanced motion capture and 3D gait analysis, we decode those patterns to design precise, effective rehabilitation plans that restore mobility and improve quality of life.