Overview:
The position of the foot while walking has been shown to have an important relationship with knee joint load. This concept can be connected to the management of knee osteoarthritis (OA). Traditionally, measurement of this biomechanical outcome has been performed in a laboratory setting. However, the development of shoe-worn sensors now allows measurement in real-life environments over multiple days.
Objectives:
- To investigate foot motion during walking activities in the community over seven consecutive days.
- To compare differences in foot motion during walking between adults with and without knee OA.
- To validate real-world foot motion measurement using a sensorized shoe compared to laboratory-based measurement.
Who can participate?
We are currently recruiting adults with or without knee OA. All eligible participants must 1) be aged over 19 years, 2) be comfortable walking intermittently for 30 minutes, and 3) fit into the available sizes of the sensorized shoes (US sizes: women’s 5 to men’s 13). In addition, participants with knee OA must 1) be over the age of 50 years, 2) exhibit signs of tibiofemoral OA (KL ≥ 2) predominantly in the medial compartment, and 3) self-report knee pain ≥ 3 / 10 on a numerical rating scale of pain (NRS; 0 = “no pain” and 10 = “worst pain imaginable”) during most days of the previous month.
What is required?
This study involves 3 visits total, including a gait screen and x-ray appointment (if necessary), and a baseline gait assessment in the Motion Analysis Lab, followed by 7 days of at-home walking wearing the sensorized shoes. You will be asked to walk at least 10 minutes per day wearing the sensorized shoes, and to record your walking activities in a diary provided. At the end of the 7 days, we will arrange to collect the shoes and diary from you.
To register your interest in our study, please complete the eligibility form by clicking here.