Active clinical trials for "Osteoarthritis"

Strength of the Quadriceps Muscle is key to recover from Total Knee Arthroplasty. In this study we compare two techniques for pain control after total knee arthroplasty in terms of preserving the motor function (the strength of the quadriceps muscles of the thigh) which will facilitate the rehabilitation and accelerate the hospital discharge. We will use ultrasound guided technique to block either the femoral nerve in the control group or the saphenous nerve in the experimental group. The primary outcome is the functional capacity and the impact of each block on the ability to walk by measuring the distance patients are able to walk in two minutes in post operative day one in the two groups. The secondary outcome is the morphine consumption in the two groups.

The objective of this prospective study is to determine (1) the time course of patient-relevant functional outcome evaluated by the Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) and (2) the time course of range of motion (ROM) the first six years following Oxford Medial Unicondylar Knee prosthesis. Improvement of patient self-reported pain and daily function during the study period, are of particular interest.

Total joint arthroplasty are common operations among the elderly population. The postoperative patients' rehabilitation process may be influenced by a variety of factors, such as age, BMI, perioperative hemoglobin levels, pain perception, comorbidities, etc. Nevertheless, only a few well controlled studies evaluated the effect of various factors on patients' rehabilitation short-term outcome. Furthermore, no scale has been developed, that can predict patients' rehabilitation and functioning levels 6 weeks postoperatively. In the current study we wish to evaluate the effect on patients' function that the following factors have: age, BMI, admission and discharge hemoglobin levels, pain perception, type of operation (TKA versus THA), intensity of postoperative physiotherapy, involvement of other joints by the primary pathology, comorbidities, and self assessed health status. In order to quantify patients' level of functioning, several tests will be used: hand grip strength, Timed up and go test (TUG) and Oxford knee and hip score. The factors that will be found statistically significantly associated with level of functioning, will be used in an attempt to develop a scale that will predict the level of functioning 6 weeks postoperatively. Such a scale can allow preoperative identification of patients at high risk of postoperative low functioning levels and the application of a unique rehabilitation program, for only these patients, in order to optimize their functioning.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a progressive and irreversible degenerative joint disease characterized by marginal bone hypertrophy, erosion, and subchondral sclerosis in the articular cartilage.It has been determined that being of advanced age and joint involvement due to osteoarthritis are a risk factor for addiction in activities and this increases the individual's self-care ability and dependency in daily living activities.Older individuals with knee osteoarthritis may be at risk of falling.This study was planned to examine the relationship between activity-specific balance confidence and fear of falling, autonomy and social participation in individuals with knee osteoarthritis over 65 years of age.

All across surgery specialties, wound or implant infections constitute rare, yet potentially severe complications of surgical procedure. It is considered, that glucose metabolism disorders, e.g. diabetes, are one of the main risk factors of such condition. Aim of the study The aim of the study is a prospective evaluation of glucose blood level and its variability during 2 weeks before hospitalization and 2 weeks of postoperative period in patients, that will undergo elective orthopaedic surgeries, and its impact on number of cardiovascular and orthopaedic complications. Materials and methods To this study, patients qualified for elective total knee or hip replacement in the single orthopedic center will be recruited. 100 patients will be included in this study. Every patient will be evaluated on the risk of developing diabetes mellitus in 10 years time and on the risk of death in 10 years due to the cardiovascular events. 14 days before procedure patients will have continuous glucose level measurement sensor implemented in subcutaneous tissue. After 14 days, during standard visit for stitches removal, the sensor will be removed and glycemia data will be collected. Next, patients will have their casual glucose blood level checked and surgery outcome, cardiovascular events or surgery complication risk evaluated in 3-, 6- and 12 month follow-up visits. Expected benefits of the study Results of this study may allow to define impact of orthopaedic treatment on glycemia and possible necessity to modify treatment of hyperglycemia in perioperative period in patients with Diabetes Mellitus type 2 (DM2). Moreover it will allow to specify change of glucose levels and possibly implicating a need to monitor perioperative glycemia in patients without carbohydrate metabolism disorders. Additionally, the study will help to evaluate corelation between perioperative glucose blood level and the risk of cardiovascular events or surgical complications in 1-year after the procedure, which may decrease the risk of such incidents in the future (e.g. by adequate control and effective treatment of hyperglycemia), hence may result in reduction of mortality and lesser lowering of the quality of life in patients with DM2 or high risk of it.

Nociceptor inputs can trigger a prolonged but reversible increase in the excitability and synaptic efficacy of neurons in central nociceptive pathways, the phenomenon of central sensitization. The degenerative joint disease, osteoarthritis, with characteristic destruction of cartilage and alteration in bone is a very common cause of chronic pain. The degree of pain does not always correlate with the extent of joint damage or presence of active inflammation raising the possibility that there may be a central component to the pain. The central sensitization inventory (CSI) is a new self-report screening instrument to measure the degree of central sensitization, and to help identify patients with central sensitivity syndromes. The aim of this investigation is to evaluate the influence of preoperative central sensitization, which represented by CSI score, on postoperative pain score in osteoarthritis patients undergoing total knee replacement who receiving patient-controlled epidural analgesia.

This is a randomized, placebo controlled study. The first subject is expected to be enrolled in July 2014, and the last subject is expected to complete the study by July 2015. Each subject will be provided with the PRN Joint Comfort Formula, placebo or PRN Flex Omega Benefits® combination depending on randomization (1:1:1 at each site) during the course of the study. Instructions and frequency of use will be determined by the labelling.

The aim of the study is to evaluate the role of balneotherapy in obese patients with knee osteoarthritis in terms of pain relief, improving joint function and deambulation, on endocrinological parameters, quality of life and of reduction the costs to "Servizio Sanitario Nazionale" (NHS).

It is critical to improve our understanding of knee osteoarthritis and to design better therapeutic options for this disease. The function of the knee during walking is an important factor in the development and progression of the disease. Many models of insoles that can be inserted in regular shoes with the objectives of improving the function of the knee are available on the market without prescription. Prior studies on these insoles failed to report clear benefits for the patients, mainly because the results varied strongly between persons. Walking is a complex tasks and it is well known that everybody develops his/her individual way of walking (ie., there are subtle but very important differences in the function of the knee). This observation and the fact that patient responses could vary between individuals suggest that using the same standard insoles with all patients might not be appropriated. This further suggests that care could be greatly improved if it was possible to identify patients that would respond positively to a model of insoles. Unfortunately, while several randomized controlled trials were conducted on these insoles for knee osteoarthritis, there is a paucity of data regarding their effects on the ambulatory function of the knee. Therefore, this study aims to improve the understanding regarding the effects of insoles freely available on the market in terms of knee mechanics during walking and its relation with quality of life. This study will test the hypotheses that (i) insoles have an effect on the static and dynamic lower-limb function and (ii) that benefits perceived by the patients are related to the mechanical effects produced by the insoles.

The association between varus malalignment and dynamic knee loading / adduction moment and progression of knee joint cartilage degeneration in the lateral compartment is unclear and has not been studied in detail before. There is a need to identify relevant parameters explaining this cause-effect relationship. It is the purpose of the study to correlate load changes in knee joints with biomechanical and biochemical alterations in cartilage to understand the underlying mechanism of load induced cartilage degeneration in patients. This study will therefore include patients with different stages of knee OA with various malalignments. Moreover, analyzing changes in cartilage morphology, radiography and MRI and correlate those findings with alterations in biochemical parameters in cartilage, serum, urine and synovial fluid will allow us to identify novel biomarkers for the onset and progression of joint cartilage degeneration in varus malaligned knees. The following hypotheses will be tested: Knee joint cartilage degeneration progresses from medial to lateral in varus-aligned knees. External knee adduction moments in patients with isolated medial OA are higher when compared with patients with OA of the medial and lateral compartment. Morphological and mechanical properties of cartilage show different stages of degeneration when comparing the mechanically stronger loaded medial with the lateral compartment of the knee. Histological and biochemical analysis of the cartilage indicate different stages of degeneration when comparing the mechanically loaded medial with the lesser loaded lateral compartment of the knee. Synovial fluid analysis, as well as serum biomarkers of cartilage metabolism demonstrate cartilage degeneration and are related to biomechanical determinants of OA in the knee. Novel biomarkers (ECM, miRNA, cytokines, mitochondria related, mechanical determinants) for varus-aligned knees can be identified.