Assessment of postural stability in women with hip osteoarthritis

Sixty-six randomly selected women aged between 55-85 years old will be assigned into one of two groups based on age, health status and activity level. Group 1 will be consisted of 37 women with aged 55 to 85 years old, who will be qualified to treatment for diagnosed bilateral hip osteoarthritis and declaring no systematic physical activity Group 2 will be consisted of 30 women with aged 60 to 83 years old without degenerative diseases of the lower limb joints, systematically engaging in organized physical exercises. These women will be participated in moderate physical activities such as walking 2-3 times per week for around 30-60 minutes from a minimum 24 months. The absence of degenerative joint disease will be confirmed by standard clinical tests and criteria developed by the American College of Rheumatology. Participants with hip osteoarthritis will be patients of the Department of Rehabilitation of the Independent Public Central Clinical Hospital in Warsaw. Pedobarographic measurements will be collected using a WIN-POD Pel 38 electronic podometer and WIN-POD 3.81 software at a frequency (f) of 100 Hz per 30 seconds. To ensure uniform data collection and reliable results, examiners will be asked to adhere to a strict study protocol that included asking participants a series of questions prior to the test about conditions that could adversely affect postural stability. The questions will be designed to assess overall well-being, medication intake, number of hours of sleep, alcohol consumption, history of excessive physical exercise, and current pain or discomfort. The examination will be consisted of four, 30-second tests with 60-second intermissions in the sitting position. The first two pedobarographic tests will be performed with eyes open (EO) in freestanding posture, whereas the third and fourth tests will be performed with eyes closed (EC). The participants will be asked to remove their shoes and stand upright on the forceplate with the head erect and their arms hanging loosely by their sides. Also they will be asked to stand (barefoot) on a floor-based foot pressure measurement device as pedobarographic balance measurements of deviation length, area and velocity from center of gravity will be recorded. All tests will be conducted in a quiet room with normal temperature and the same illumination. WIN-POD electronic podometer will be calibrated prior to the recordings and further underwent an automatic calibration check before each trial. Each participant will be only get tested one time.