Active clinical trials for "Osteoarthritis"

High joint load during walking has been linked to cartilage degradation. Biomarkers, found in the blood and urine, are protein fragments released after cartilage degradation characteristic of OA. They have the potential to enable direct and immediate disease state monitoring and identification of early cartilage changes. Little is known about the association of biomarkers with joint load or if exercise aimed at reducing joint load changes biomarker levels, thus reducing the risk of OA progression. This study will provide novel information on these relationships and will guide future intervention studies. The investigators hypothesize that certain biomarkers will be highly correlated with joint loading during walking and that the levels of these biomarkers in the blood and urine will decrease following an exercise intervention aimed at cartilage unloading.

Chronic pain affects an estimated 50 to 65 million individuals in the US, and its incidence and prevalence is steadily on the rise in correspondence with the increasing longevity of the population. Spinal pain, encompassing lower back, thoracic and neck pain, is a very common type of chronic pain that can greatly reduce quality of life. Facet joint pain is most often associated with facet arthropathy or degenerative arthritis of the joint. This condition develops due to progressive wear and tear caused by the small but repetitive strain of the joints throughout a lifetime. Strain and inflammation can induce fluid distention of the joints which in turn can result in compression of the nerve roots of the joint - the origin of the chronic pain. Current treatments for facet arthropathy and pain include oral medications, intra-articular injections of anesthetic or steroid medications, energy ablation (e.g. radiofrequency ablation) for denervation, and in some severe cases facet rhizotomy (surgical severing of the nerves). The ExAblate magnetic resonance guided focused ultrasound system enables noninvasive focal ablation of tissue. Results from feasibility studies, including those from the FDA approved feasibility study (IDE # G050177) have shown the palliative effect of the ExAblate for patients with bone metastases. It is reasonable to assume that this palliative effect of MRgFUS could also translate to the alleviation of facet pain if focused ultrasound beams are directed to the facet joints. The highly-target focal ablation could also diminish the risk of complications that are often associated with other less selective denervation techniques. The objective of this trial is to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the ExAblate system and the treatment of pain resulting from facet joint osteoarthritis.

The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a complex āyurvedic diagnosis and treatment compared to conventional standard care in patients with OA of the knee.

Total knee replacement is an effective option for treating chronic knee conditions that cause pain and functional impairment. Significant improvements in quality of life, as measured by both disease specific and generic quality of life measures have been well documented. Carefully monitored introduction of new implant designs through small, randomized trials using radiostereometric analysis (RSA) is gaining support. RSA is a radiographic technique that uses small tantalum balls implanted into the patient's bone to measure micromotion (<1 mm) at the bone - implant interface, something which is not possible to do reliably using regular x-ray techniques. The amount of micromotion that occurs within 2 years of surgery can be used to predict the long term survival of knee replacements. This provides a method for detecting inferior implant designs using only a small number of patients before release of these products into large clinical trials. The study purpose is to utilize RSA to compare the migration patterns of the Trabecular Metal(TM) Monoblock and the TM Modular Total Knee Arthroplasties during the first two postop years and to determine what proportion of cases achieve adequate fixation. Secondary outcome measures will be recorded to quantify changes in functional status of subjects after surgery and bone mineral density will be monitored to quantify any changes around the implant. Migration patterns will be compared to results obtained from previous studies of uncemented and cemented total knee arthroplasty components conducted at this centre. Null Hypothesis: There is no significant difference in micromotion patterns of the TM arthroplasty components of the monoblock design and the modular design. Alternative Hypothesis: There are significant differences in micromotion patterns between the tibial components of the monoblock design and the modular design. This is a consecutive sample randomized control trial of patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty with the TM Monoblock and TM Modular Knee Arthroplasty systems utilizing RSA to identify the migration patterns of the tibial components of the implant. DEXA scanning will also be conducted to determine changes in the bone mineral density adjacent to the implant. Health status and functional outcome measures will be recorded to quantify functional status of subjects before surgery and at each follow-up interval. Gait will be monitored and analyzed preoperatively and postoperatively throughout the duration of the trial.

The OtisMed Custom-fit system for total knee replacements replaces conventional surgical techniques for templating and intra-operative instrumentation with a preoperative virtual surgery process that utilizes 3D models of the affected knee from a pre-operative MRI or CT image. The 3D model of the affected knee is processed with a proprietary algorithm that virtually alters it to its pre-arthritic state by filling articular defects, removing osteophytes, and approximating the joint surface. The software then shape matches the knee replacement femoral and tibial components to the preathritic knee model and aligns the femoral component to the functional flexion-extension axis of the femur. The final preoperative step is the machining of custom biocompatible plastic cutting blocks that fit the arthritic knee. These cutting blocks are used during the knee replacement surgery to guide the bone cuts so that the replacement components are aligned for the individual patient. In this study we propose to compare patients who have received total knee replacement components with the OtisMed Custom-fit procedure to those who have had the same components implanted in the conventional manner with Computer Assisted Surgery (CAS). The primary outcome will be micromotion of tibial and femoral implants at 1 and 2 years after surgery. Secondary outcomes will include subjective outcomes, accelerometric gait analysis, bone mineral density, full leg alignment, change in intra-operative frontal plane alignment, intra-operative deviations from the surgical plan, surgery duration, OR turnover time, number of instrument pans used, and length of hospital stay.

Infection remains one of the most difficult-to-treat complications of total hip arthroplasty. The gold standard treatment is two-stage removal of the prosthesis with later replacement of permanent implants.The first stage consists of removal of the infected arthroplasty components and the surrounding devitalized tissue, copious pulsed irrigation, and placement of a temporary antibiotic-impregnated cement spacer. This spacer is typically left in place six weeks, during which time the patient receives intravenous antibiotics. After the surgeon feels that the infection has been eradicated, or if a second debridement is required, a second operative procedure is performed. While the use of an antibiotic spacer is well accepted, whether the spacer should immobilize the hip (a so-called "static" spacer) or allow for range of motion (a so-called "articulating" spacer) is controversial. Proponents of static spacers argue that immobilization of the periarticular soft tissues aids in clearance of the infection and that these spacers are simpler to fashion intraoperatively. Proponents of articulating spacers argue that they improve hip function, prevent damage to the musculature surrounding the hip, allow easier reimplantation, improve hip function, and prevent dislocation following hip reimplantation. While good results have been described with both methods, comparative trials have been conflicting as to whether spacer design alters hip function, operative time, and dislocation rates. Equipoise exists within the literature, and no randomized clinical trial has been conducted to evaluate this issue. The purpose of this study is to compare articulating and static antibiotic-impregnated spacers for the treatment of chronic periprosthetic infection complicating total hip arthroplasty through a prospective, randomized clinical trial. The goals of this trial are to determine the effect of spacer design upon eradication of infection, hip function, ease of reimplantation, and dislocation rates. The investigators hypothesize that articulating spacers will provide shorter operative times at replantation while improving hip function and hip dislocation rates following hip reimplantation.

Infection remains a difficult-to-treat complication of total knee arthroplasty. The gold standard treatment is two-stage removal of the prosthesis with later replacement of permanent implants. The first stage consists of removal of the infected arthroplasty components and the surrounding devitalized tissue, copious pulsed irrigation, and placement of a temporary antibiotic-impregnated cement spacer. This spacer typically is left in place six weeks, during which time the patient receives intravenous antibiotics. After the surgeon feels that the infection has been eradicated, or if the patient requires repeat debridement, a second operative procedure is performed. While the use of an antibiotic-loaded spacer is well accepted, whether the spacer should immobilize the knee (a so-called "static" spacer) or allow for range of motion (a so-called "articulating" spacer) is controversial. Proponents of articulating spacers argue that they prevent scarring of the musculature surrounding the knee resulting in easier reimplantation, improved long-term knee function, and improved range of motion. Proponents of static spacers argue that immobilization of the periarticular soft tissues aids in clearance of the infection and is simpler to fashion intraoperatively. While good results have been described with both methods, comparative trials have been conflicting as to whether spacer design alters knee function, operative time, and range of motion. Equipoise exists within the literature, and no randomized clinical trial has been conducted to evaluate this issue. The purpose of this study is to compare articulating and static antibiotic-impregnated spacers for the treatment of chronic periprosthetic infection complicating total knee arthroplasty through a prospective, randomized clinical trial. The goals of this trial are to determine the effect of spacer design upon eradication of infection, knee function, ease of reimplantation, and range of motion. The investigators hypothesize that articulating spacers will provide shorter operative times at reimplantation, while improving knee function and range of motion.

Carpometacarpal (CMC) arthritis of the thumb joint ('basal arthritis') is a common entity treated by hand surgeons in our society. It can be a significant source of functional disability secondary to a painful, and often weak, grip. Once patients have failed treatment by conservative means, such as splinting, anti-inflammatories, and cortisone injections, the next option is surgical management. Several surgical options are available depending on the severity of the disease. For the early stages of arthritis options include a ligament reconstruction or a metacarpal extension osteotomy. For advanced stages, only salvage procedures exist. These have included simple trapeziectomy, arthrodesis and implant arthroplasty. The most common procedure, however, has been a trapeziectomy with a ligament reconstruction tendon interposition

This is a study to determine whether Flexsure is Safe, Tolerable and Effective in relieving symptoms of Moderate Osteoarthritis of the Knee.

Ankle osteoarthritis is a joint condition which results from damage and loss of the cartilage in a joint. Treatment options for ankle osteoarthritis are usually aimed at controlling pain and limiting motion that provokes the pain. Nonsurgical treatment approaches are tried first. If unsuccessful, surgical options are considered. Stem cell therapy is one of the therapeutic options that can repair the damaged cartilage. Bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells have showed the capacity of bone and cartilage regeneration.