Posterior fixation is usually performed to restore spinal stability and decompress the spinal canal for unstable thoracolumbar burst fractures. The purpose of this study was to compare trunk and lower-extremity kinematics during gait between healthy adults and patients who had undergone posterior fixation surgery after thoracolumbar fractures. Optical motion capture was used to record joint kinematics during walking. The trunk, hip, knee, and ankle joint angles and excursions in sagittal, frontal, and transverse planes were calculated, averaged, and compared between patients and control groups. The patient group had significantly increased total hip excursion in the frontal plane and reduced ankle dorsiflexion in the sagittal plane, with mean differences of 4.2° and 6.4°, respectively. However, there were no differences in knee joint kinematics. The patient group exhibited a more upright trunk position during walking than the control group, with both peak trunk flexion and extension significantly different, possibly indicating stiffer trunk movement. This study provides the fundamentals of the joint kinematics of the trunk and lower extremities after posterior surgical treatment for thoracolumbar fractures, which may help in evaluating surgical outcomes.
Borkhuu et al. (2026) studied this question.