Impact of Exercise on Older Persons With Osteoarthritis

August 20, 2019 updated by: National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)

Impact of Exercise on Older Persons With Osteoarthritis (OA)

Previous studies have found that exercise can reduce pain, improve endurance for physical activities, and improve cardiovascular fitness over time. However, these studies have not looked at the impact of exercise programs for older adults with osteoarthritis or at how long older adults continue exercising after a program is finished. This study will look at the long-term effects of a structured exercise program for people aged 60 or older who have osteoarthritis of the hip or knee. One goal of the exercise program is to encourage older people with osteoarthritis to continue exercising.

We will randomly assign study participants to either the exercise program or a control group that does not do the exercise program. We will monitor participants at the start of the study, at 8 weeks, and every 3 months for 2 years after the program is completed. The exercise program lasts for 8 weeks and includes an exercise part and an educational part led by trained physical therapists. We believe that participants in the treatment (exercise) group will show higher rates of continued exercise and higher functional status over time compared to the group of people who do not participate in the exercise program.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Recent exercise interventions have demonstrated statistically significant short-term improvements in muscle strength, fitness, and physical activity in people under the age of 70. This study seeks to determine if those same benefits can be achieved in an older population (mean age 84) with osteoarthritis of the hip or knee. The study will examine the long-term effects of a structured exercise program that seeks to promote adherence to continued exercise.

We will randomly assign people who meet the study criteria to the exercise intervention or control group. We will conduct measures at baseline, at 8 weeks, and at 3-month intervals for 2 years following the intervention. The exercise component of the intervention will include lower extremity muscle strengthening, range-of-motion exercises, and fitness walking. An educational component will focus on arthritis self-efficacy and perceived self-reported exercise efficacy. We hypothesize that treatment group participants will exhibit higher rates of adherence to exercise and higher functional status outcomes over time compared to controls.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

217

Phase

  • Phase 2

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Illinois
      • Chicago, Illinois, United States, 60646
        • North Park Village
      • Chicago, Illinois, United States, 60659
        • Bernard Horwich Jewish Community Center

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

60 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • 60 years of age or older
  • Presence of osteoarthritis of the lower extremities with an American College of Rheumatology functional class rating of I, II, or III
  • No other contraindication from a personal physician for participation in the fitness walking
  • Lack of moderate-to-severe cognitive impairment as assessed by the Short Portable Mental Status Questionnaire

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Under 60 years of age
  • Lack of osteoarthritis of the lower extremities
  • Contraindication from a personal physician for participation in fitness walking
  • Presence of moderate-to-severe cognitive impairment as assessed by the Short Portable Mental Status Questionnaire
  • Steroid injections in either hip or knee within the previous 6 months
  • Uncomplicated knee or hip surgery within previous year
  • Complicated knee or hip surgery within previous year
  • Plans for total knee or hip replacement within the next year
  • Rheumatoid arthritis or other systemic inflammatory arthritis
  • Diabetes that is not under control
  • Current participation in a structured aerobic exercise program

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Prevention
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: 1
Fit and Strong! is a multi-component exercise and health education program that incorporates flexibility, aerobic conditioning, strength training, and group discussion/problem solving for lifestyle change.
Behavioral: Fit and Strong!
Fit and Strong! is a multi-component exercise and health education program that includes flexibility, aerobic conditioning, strength training, and group discussion/problem solving for lifestyle change.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Adherence to exercise
Time Frame: 12 months
12 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Pain and stiffness
Time Frame: 12 months
12 months

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)

Collaborators

National Institute on Aging (NIA)

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Susan Hughes, Center for Research on Health and Aging

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

December 1, 1983

Primary Completion (Actual)

September 1, 2003

Study Completion (Actual)

September 1, 2003

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

January 21, 2000

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 21, 2000

First Posted (Estimate)

January 24, 2000

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

August 22, 2019

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 20, 2019

Last Verified

December 1, 2007

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • P60AR030692 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)
  • NIAMS-050

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

Clinical Trials on Osteoarthritis

Clinical Trials on Fit and Strong!

Search Similar Trials

Sponsors and Collaborators

Medical Conditions

Drug Interventions

CROs by country

CROs in Canada

Conditions

Rare Diseases

Drug Interventions

Dietary Supplements

Sponsor/Collaborators

Locations

Subscribe