Overview:
An emerging strategy to manage knee osteoarthritis is to change walking motions to lower knee joint loads. Changing the position of the foot while walking has been shown to lower knee joint loads and improve symptoms, but it is unclear if patients can learn these modifications and if they can be performed outside of the laboratory.
Objectives:
To investigate the feasibility of learning a walking modification, performing it during daily walking activity, and delivering the treatment primarily using videoconferencing technology.
Who can participate?
We are currently recruiting men and women aged 50 and above with knee osteoarthritis (OA). You may be eligible to participate in this study if you have evidence of OA via x-ray and a history of knee pain over the last 6 months. If you do not have recent x-ray images of your knees, you will be referred to a local imaging clinic to obtain these images to determine your study eligibility. You must be comfortable walking intermittently for 30 minutes without the help of a gait aid (e.g. cane, walker).
What is required?
This study involves 5 visits to our lab total, including a gait screen and x-ray appointment (if necessary), a baseline gait assessment, and a follow-up assessment at 6 and 10 weeks after baseline. The treatment will involve practicing walking with more toe-in or toe-out angle while walking (pigeon toe or duck foot). You will increase this angle as much as you can and 5-weekly videoconference appointments with a kinesiologist will be used to help guide you in this learning process. From the first screening appointment to the last follow-up assessment, the study will take approximately 12-14 weeks.
To register your interest in our study, please complete the eligibility form by clicking here.