Evaluating Muscle Function After Ankle Surgery

June 23, 2005 updated by: Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)

Restoration of Muscle Function During Rehabilitation

Patients who are forced to rest or reduce activity as a result of illness, injury, or surgery often experience resulting muscle weakness. This study will evaluate muscle features and muscle strength in patients who are recovering from surgery for broken ankles. The goal of this study is to improve the recovery of muscle function and overall ability after prolonged periods of ankle inactivity due to surgery.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Many physiological conditions are associated with muscle weakness and can affect movement. This study will investigate which metabolic and morphological features of skeletal muscle are uniquely altered during the course of rehabilitation and how they affect muscle function and performance in daily ambulatory activities. This study will also examine how well the commonly used assessment measures reflect actual muscle capacity. Finally, because there is evidence that activity does not affect all fiber types uniformly, fiber-type specific metabolic and morphological measures will be performed.

Participants in this study will have had an ankle injury that has been treated surgically (Open Reduction Internal Fixation, or ORIF) followed by 5 to 10 weeks of cast immobilization. Following initial baseline measurements made after 1 week of re-ambulation, participants are enrolled in a 10-week rehabilitation program that focuses on restoration of both muscle strength and endurance. Assessments are made at Weeks 5 and 10 and include 31P-Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS), Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), muscle biopsy, and muscle function and functional performance tests. 31P-measurements monitor changes in the in vivo metabolic characteristics of skeletal muscle. 3D-MRI procedures will be used to quantify the maximal muscle cross-sectional area and total muscle volume. Muscle endurance and strength will be measured using an isokinetic dynamometer. Functional performance tests consist of self-selected walking pace, power for ascending and descending stairs, and toe raises while standing on one foot.

Nine participants (six patients and three control volunteers) will be studied each year. Control volunteers are submitted to the same measurements at similar time intervals in order to assess variability over time.

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment

30

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
    • Pennsylvania
      • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, 19104
        • MMRRCC, University of Pennsylvania

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

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • 5 to 10 weeks of cast immobilization following surgery (ORIF) for mallerolar fracture

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Pregnant or breastfeeding
  • Severe claustrophobia
  • MRI incompatible metal implants (e.g., pacemaker)
  • Diabetes or peripheral neuropathies
  • Bleeding disorders

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

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Krista Vandenborne, Ph.D., P.T., University of Pennsylvania, Department of Physiology

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

Helpful Links

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

September 1, 1995

Study Completion

August 1, 2000

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

May 16, 2003

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 16, 2003

First Posted (Estimate)

May 19, 2003

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

June 24, 2005

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 23, 2005

Last Verified

March 1, 2003

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • R29HD033738 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

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.

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