An Intervention of Electrical Stimulation in Osteoarthritis

Completed · Not applicable

Conditions studied: Osteoarthritis

In brief

Patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA) often have decreased thigh muscle strength. This muscle weakness is thought to originate from centers in the brain and spinal cord that restrict recruitment of fibers responsible for muscle contraction. An inability to fully contract muscles surrounding the knee joint impairs patients' abilities to perform activities of daily living (i.e. walking, climbing stairs) and may even contribute to further joint degeneration. Establishing therapies aimed at increasing muscle strength, restoring normal function, and possibly slowing the processes involved in the development of knee OA is essential in order to enhance the quality of life in the adult population plagued with this degenerative joint condition. Electrical muscle stimulation applied to the thigh is a promising therapy that has been shown to successfully restore muscle strength, however how long the treatment lasts and its influence on functional outcomes remains unknown. In order for electrical muscle stimulation to be of value it must result in sustained improvements in muscle strength and functional outcomes. Therefore, the purpose of the proposed investigation is to determine if electrical muscle stimulation can restore thigh muscle strength and improve functional outcomes in patients with knee osteoarthritis.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT00500448

Run by

University of Michigan

People needed

30

Starts

2007-07-01

Expected to finish

2009-08-01

Last updated by the study team

2016-08-29

Who can join

Age: 50 and older, up to 62. Sex: female. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.

You may qualify if…

• All participants must be female
• Subjects must have radiographic osteoarthritis of grade 2 severity according to the Kellgren and Lawrence scale on the posterior-anterior semi-flexed view with definite osteophytes present in the medial and not lateral compartment.

You may not qualify if…

• Previous adverse reaction to electrical stimulation
• Inability to ambulate without the use of an assistive device (i.e cane, walker)
• Patients who have undergone a total knee arthroplasty
• Patients who have torn any knee ligament (ACL, PCL, MCL, LCL)
• Enrollees who have a demand-type cardiac pacemaker or are pregnant
• History of tibial osteotomy surgery
• Significant peripheral or central nervous system disease
• Concurrent clinically active arthritis of the hip, ankle, hindfoot or midfoot in either limb
• Concurrent bilateral radiographic evidence of tibiofemoral osteoarthritis
• Enrollees who are concurrently undergoing physical therapy for pain or OA
• Enrollees who are taking Cox-2 inhibitors or are receiving corticosteroid injections
• Subjects will be allowed to take buffered aspirin and naproxen sodium while enrolled in the study
• Enrollees who have a body mass index of greater than 40 (morbidly obese)
• Enrollees who have a CAR > .95 (e.g. patients whose quadriceps are uninhibited)
• Enrollees who have previously undergone quadriceps NMES therapy

Where it is running

• University of Michigan — Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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