Steps Towards Osteoarthritis Prevention
Recruiting now · Not applicable
Conditions studied: Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries
In brief
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.
Key facts
- Study ID
- NCT06193343
- Run by
- University of Georgia
- People needed
- 56
- Starts
- 2024-09-23
- Expected to finish
- 2028-01-30
- Last updated by the study team
- 2026-04-29
Who can join
Age: 16 and older, up to 40. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.
You may qualify if…
- 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 during the study
- Physician clearance for unrestricted activity
- Owning a smartphone
- Demonstrate < 8,000 steps per day during the screening phase of aim 2 as assessed using the Actigraph Link monitor
You may not qualify if…
- Underwent an ACLR revision surgery due to a previous anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) graft injury
- A multiple ligament surgery was indicated with their ACL injury
- A lower extremity fracture was suffered during the ACL injury
- The participant has previously been diagnosed with any diseases that affect joints is present in either knee including knee osteoarthritis inflammatory arthritis
- Pregnant or plans to become pregnant over next 4 months
- Body mass index (BMI) ≥ 36 kg/m2
- Unable to speak English
- Cochlear implant
- Metal in body (metal fragments, shrapnel, permanent make-up, body piercings that cannot be removed)
- Claustrophobia
- History of seizures
- Pacemaker
Where it is running
- University of Georgia — Athens, Georgia, United States (enrolling)
Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov
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