Osteoarthritis, Knee
Conditions
Keywords
balance, fatigue, falls
Brief summary
The goal of this clinical trial is to learn about how fatigue affects the risk of falling in adults aged 55-70 years with and without knee osteoarthritis. The main questions this trial aims to answer are: * Does fatigue increase the risk of tripping while walking? and * Does fatigue increase the risk of falling in response to a trip while walking? Participants will * Complete questionnaires * Wear a device that measures physical activity for 5-7 days * Complete a 30 minute walk on a treadmill * Complete the following before and after the treadmill walk: * Computer test to measure mental fatigue * Maximal strength testing * Balance test Researchers will compare adults with and without knee osteoarthritis to see if fall risk in adults with knee osteoarthritis is affected more by walking activity compared to adults without knee osteoarthritis.
Interventions
BEHAVIORAL30 minute treadmill walk
Participants will walk on a treadmill at their preferred speed for 30 minutes. One minute "challenge" periods will occur at minutes 7, 17, and 27, when the treadmill speed will increase by 50%. This walk will induce a magnitude of muscle fatigue corresponding to an individual participant's fatigability.
Sponsors
University of Delaware
National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)
Study design
Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
55 Years to 70 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
For adults with knee osteoarthritis: * presence of occasional to frequent knee pain * knee pain that is primarily in the medial knee joint compartment * minimal morning joint stiffness For all participants: * able to walk continuously for 30 minutes without an assistive device
Exclusion criteria
* fracture or surgery within 1 year * history of joint replacement * lower-extremity joint injections within 3 months * history of stroke or other neurological condition * cardiovascular or pulmonary conditions that limit daily activity or that preclude participation in exercise * history of major lower extremity or back injury or pain (except for knee osteoarthritis) * history of lower extremity amputation * use an orthotic or prosthetic to walk * use of beta blockers or other medications that affect fatigue * use of medications that affect balance * diabetic neuropathy * acute illness or the presence of lesions on the torso or lower extremities * BMI greater than 35 * body weight over 265 lbs
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum toe clearance during walking | Beginning and end of 30 minute treadmill walk | Minimum toe clearance will be calculated from the first and last minutes of the treadmill walk using optical motion capture. |
| Anterior stability margins during walking | Beginning and end of 30 minute treadmill walk | Anterior stability margins will be calculated from the first and last minutes of the treadmill walk using optical motion capture. |
| Anterior reactive stepping | Beginning and end of 30 minute treadmill walk | Stability margins will be calculated from a lean-release test conducted before and after the 30 minute treadmill walk |
| Knee extensor fatigability | Before and after the 30 minute treadmill walk | Knee extensor fatigability will be calculated as the change in maximum knee extensor power (measured via dynamometry) pre- to post-30 minute treadmill walk |
Countries
United States
Outcome results
None listed