Steps Towards Osteoarthritis Prevention: A Pilot Study
University of Georgia
Summary
Optimal knee joint loading, which refers to the forces acting on the knee caused by daily activities such as daily steps, plays an essential role in maintaining knee articular cartilage health and reducing the risk of osteoarthritis (OA). After anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR), individuals take fewer daily steps as compared to uninjured controls resulting in insufficient knee joint loading to joint tissues, but it is unclear how changes in daily steps impact knee joint cartilage health in OA development. Therefore, the overall single arm, longitudinal pre-test post-test study objective is to determine the mechanistic links between knee joint loading as measured by daily steps and comprehensive magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) measures of knee joint cartilage health post-ACLR. The central hypothesis is that individuals post-ACLR who take low daily steps will demonstrate deconditioned, less resilient cartilage characterized by poor tibiofemoral cartilage composition and greater cartilage strain.
Description
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a leading cause of disability. Identifying modifiable mechanisms of poor knee joint health development for disease prevention strategies are critical to improving long-term health. Aberrant mechanical loading has been theorized as a primary risk factor for knee OA. Most studies primarily focus on mechanical mechanisms of excessive joint loading in OA development. However, recent evidence suggests that joint underloading may also play a role. The effects of low loading frequency assessed via daily steps in real world settings on knee joint health is an understudied parame…
Eligibility
- Age range
- 16–40 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- No
Inclusion Criteria: * Provision of signed and dated informed consent form * For children, signed and dated informed assent by child and parental permission form by parent/guardian to participate in the study * Underwent an anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) between 6-60 months prior to enrollment * Stated willingness to comply with all study procedures and lifestyle considerations and availability for the duration of the study * Completed all other formal physical therapy and therapeutic exercise regimens, and will not be engaging in any other formal therapy for their ACLR durin…
Interventions
- BehavioralAdaptive Daily Step Promotion
Participants will wear a Fitbit monitor on their non-dominant wrist during a 10 to 14 day "run-in" screening to capture daily steps reported by the Fitbit but no daily step goals will be sent to the participant. The Fitbit monitor will be worn during all waking hours except water activities, and compliance will be considered as a day with ≥1,000 steps. Next, participants will undergo a 16-week intervention wearing the Fitbit monitor on their wrist and receive a text message each morning with a personalized, adaptive daily step count goal and a link used to confirm receipt of the goal. The preceding 10 days of step data will be rank ordered and the 60th percentile step count will be set as the goal for the next day. Goals will not exceed 10,000 daily steps.
Location
- University of GeorgiaAthens, Georgia