Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2017 Aug 18;18(1):384.
doi: 10.1186/s13063-017-2129-7.

High-speed resistance training and balance training for people with knee osteoarthritis to reduce falls risk: study protocol for a pilot randomized controlled trial

Pazit Levinger  1 , Jeremy Dunn  2 , Nancy Bifera  2 , Michael Butson  2 , George Elias  2 , Keith D Hill  3
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

High-speed resistance training and balance training for people with knee osteoarthritis to reduce falls risk: study protocol for a pilot randomized controlled trial

Pazit Levinger et al. Trials. .

Abstract

Background: The number of falls experienced by people with knee osteoarthritis (OA) is almost double the number experienced by people with no OA. The neuromuscular elements required to arrest a fall are more impaired in people with knee OA compared to their asymptomatic counterparts. Therefore, these elements may need to be incorporated into an exercise intervention to reduce the risk of falling. The aim of this study will be to examine the feasibility, safety and patient satisfaction of a high-speed resistance-training program, with and without balance exercises, in people with knee OA compared to a control group. The effect of these exercise programs on lower-limb muscle strength and physiological and functional risk factors for falls will also be examined.

Methods: This study will be a pilot randomized controlled trial with a pre- and post-intervention design (outcome assessments at baseline and 8 weeks after participation commencement) comparing three groups: a control group (no intervention), a high-speed resistance-training group and a high-speed resistance-training plus balance exercises group. Thirty people with knee osteoarthritis aged 60-90 years will be recruited and randomized to one of the three groups. Feasibility and safety will be assessed by examining adherence to the exercise program, dropout rate, pain level during and following exercise, number of exercises stopped due to pain, and any adverse event or any incident that prevents the participant from completing the prescribed exercise. Secondary measures of lower-limb strength, physical function, self-reported pain and function, fear of falls, and executive function and quality of life will also be assessed. To determine statistical trends of effectiveness and hence to inform sample size for a fully powered study, analyses of the secondary outcomes will be performed to assess the changes within and between groups over time (pre-post) using repeated measure ANOVA.

Discussion: The results of this study will improve understanding of what type of exercise is safe and beneficial for people with knee OA to reduce their risk of falling, and hence will inform the development of a future large research trial.

Trial registration: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry, ID: ACTRN12616001382460 . Registered on 6 October 2016.

Keywords: Balance; Falls; Osteoarthritis; Power; Resistance training.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Consent for publication

Not applicable.

Competing interests

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Flow diagram of study procedure, recruitments and randomisation
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Study design schedule in accordance with the Standard Protocol Items: Recommendations for Interventional Trials (SPIRIT) Figure
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Brand C, Juan AW, Lowe A, Morton C. Prevalence, outcome and risk for falling in 155 ambulatory patients with rheumatic disease. J Rheumatol. 2005;8:99–105.
    1. Williams SB, Brand CA, Hill KD, Hunt SB, Moran H. Feasibility and outcomes of a home-based exercise program on improving balance and gait stability in women with lower-limb osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis: a pilot study. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2010;91:106–14. doi: 10.1016/j.apmr.2009.08.150. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Levinger P, Menz HB, Wee E, Feller JA, Bartlett JR, Bergman NR. Physiological risk factors for falls in people with knee osteoarthritis before and early after knee replacement surgery. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc. 2011;19:1082–89. doi: 10.1007/s00167-010-1325-8. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Levinger P, Nagano H, Downie C, Hayes A, Sanders KM, Cicuttini F, et al. Biomechanical balance response during induced falls under dual task conditions in people with knee osteoarthritis. Gait Posture. 2016;48:106–12. doi: 10.1016/j.gaitpost.2016.04.031. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Alnahdi AH, Zeni JA, Snyder-Mackler L. Muscle impairments in patients with knee osteoarthritis. Sports Health. 2012;4:284–92. doi: 10.1177/1941738112445726. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms