Walking Aids in the Management of Hip Osteoarthritis

The purpose of this study is to determine whether or not the use of a nonpharmacologic intervention (single point cane) is effective in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Osteoarthritis
• Intervention / Treatment: Device: single point cane

Detailed Description

Osteoarthritis (OA), the most common joint disease in humans, is a significant cause of pain and disability. Non-pharmacological treatments for hip OA include education, exercise, appliances (walking sticks or insoles), and weight reduction if obese or overweight. Canes are often recommended to reduce adverse forces across joints although there is currently no research evidence regarding the efficacy of walking sticks for hip OA. Little information is available regarding the impact of walking aids on psychosocial function and quality of life in individuals with hip OA. This study will evaluate the effects of walking aids in hip OA by examining gait biomechanics, quality of life, pain, and opinions regarding using a cane.

Comparisons: Compare gait biomechanics in people with symptomatic unilateral hip OA while walking with and without a cane at baseline and after 4 weeks of cane use. Compare gait biomechanics in people with symptomatic unilateral hip OA with and without a cane to those of healthy, age-matched controls. Compare pain and health-related quality of life in people with symptomatic unilateral hip OA following 4 weeks of cane use. Determine the association between changes in gait biomechanics, pain, and health-related quality of life in people with symptomatic unilateral hip OA following 4 weeks of cane use.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 26
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • California
    • Los Angeles, California, United States, 90073
      • VA West Los Angeles

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 60 years to 75 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

1. hip OA (grades II-IV) of the Kellgren/Lawrence classification
2. with pain in one hip for most days of the prior month
3. Ability to walk 30 feet without postural sway
4. Ability to stand unaided
5. Ability to understand verbal instructions
6. Ability to give informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

1. History of hip or knee trauma or surgery including arthroscopic surgery in the past six months
2. Severe obesity (> 300 pounds)
3. Neurological disorders that affect lower extremity function such as stroke or peripheral neuropathy, vestibular dysfunction or poor vision
4. Injury or amputation to the lower extremity joints
5. History of other types of arthritis or fibromyalgia
6. Pain from spine, knee, ankle, or foot disease that would interfere with assessment of the hip
7. Poor health that would impair compliance or assessment such as shortness of breath with exertion, chest pain
8. Foot deformities such as hallux rigidus, valgus deformity of the midfoot, previous ankle arthrodesis
9. Greater trochanteric pain syndrome

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Non-Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Adult subjects with hip osteoarthritis; Walk with and without a single point cane at baseline and after four weeks	Device: single point cane; Adjustable single point cane with SureGrip handle
No Intervention: Healthy Subjects; Healthy adults walking without a cane at baseline

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
Gait Velocity	Baseline

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Gait Velocity With a Cane in Hip OA Subjects	Measured gait velocity when hip OA subjects walked with a cane at the baseline visit.	Baseline
Gait Velocity	Gait velocity when adults with symptomatic hip osteoarthritis walked with a cane after four weeks of cane use	4 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Arthritis Foundation
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Meika A Fang, MD, VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System Department of Medicine; UCLA Department of Medicine

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: July 1, 2007
• Primary Completion (Actual): July 1, 2009
• Study Completion (Actual): September 1, 2009

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: July 20, 2007
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 20, 2007
• First Posted (Estimate): July 25, 2007

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimate): October 4, 2012
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 28, 2012
• Last Verified: September 1, 2012

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Osteoarthritis; Walking Sticks; Canes
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Joint Diseases; Musculoskeletal Diseases; Rheumatic Diseases; Arthritis; Osteoarthritis; Osteoarthritis, Hip
• Other Study ID Numbers: 2007-030430