Gait deviations in transverse plane after SCFE in dependence on the femoral offset

Residual deformity of the femoral head after slipped capital femoral epiphysis (SCFE) may be accompanied by a loss of femoral offset and lead to femoro-acetabular impingement (FAI), especially during hip flexion. It is hypothesized that during phases of the gait cycle, when the hip is flexed, the offset-loss is compensated by an increased external rotation. The gait pattern of 36 patients suffering from SCFE, who were treated by pinning-in-situ, were compared to a control group of 40 healthy adults by an instrumented 3D-gait analysis. Total patient group was subdivided into 3 subgroups in dependence on the offset (offset groups (OG)) quantified by the angle α according to Nötzli: OG1: α-angle <55°, OG2: α-angle between 55 and 75°, OG3: α-angle >75°. Comparisons were made at 3 instants: initial foot contact (0% gait cycle (GC)), 40-60% GC and 90-100% GC. Patients showed an increased external hip rotation during all 3 periods of the GC with a tendency of increasing external rotation in association with offset-loss. Only during hip extension (40-60% GC) there was a weak correlation between angle α and hip rotation (r = −0.375, p = 0.024). In conclusion, the offset-loss does not lead to a functional relevant impingement during walking which needs compensation strategies like increasing external rotation during periods of hip flexion.