Knee Biofeedback Rehabilitation Interface for Game-based Home Therapy for Patients With Knee Osteoarthritis (KneeBRIGHT)

February 16, 2023 updated by: Joseph Hart, University of Virginia

Knee Biofeedback Rehabilitation Interface for Game-based Home Therapy ("KneeBRIGHT") Phase II

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the leading cause of disability in the United States. As osteoarthritis is associated with the lower limb muscle weakness, rehabilitation through quadriceps strengthening is a well-established treatment for patients with knee OA, but patient adherence to exercise routines is low due to lack of guidance regarding optimal protocols and lack of engagement during the repetitive routines that patients find tedious and boring.

The Knee Biofeedback Rehabilitation Interface for Game-based Home Therapy ("KneeBRIGHT") system combines electromyography (EMG) biofeedback with video game therapy to provide knee OA patients with an engaging, effective tool for conducting rehabilitation exercises at home. KneeBRIGHT aims to motivate patients with knee OA to conduct regular muscle strengthening exercise through an engaging, EMG-driven video game therapy.

Overall goal of the program is to improve knee OA outcomes through effective and motivating rehabilitation exercises. Participants will be randomized to two groups: (1) KneeBRIGHT group; (2) Standard rehabilitation group. Both groups will undergo baseline and follow up assessment to measure the patient-reported outcomes and thigh muscle strength. Participants in both groups will undergo a 12-week program including 3 exercise sessions per week that includes a combination of in-person and at home sessions. Pre and post intervention outcome measures will be compared to explore the effectiveness. Technology acceptance will also be studied in patients randomized to KneeBRIGHT group.

Study Overview

Detailed Description

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the leading cause of disability in the United States. As osteoarthritis is associated with the lower limb muscle weakness, rehabilitation focused on quadriceps and other lower extremity muscle strengthening is a well-established treatment for patients with knee OA. However, patient adherence to exercise routines is low due to the lack of guidance regarding optimal protocols, and poor engagement during the repetitive routines that patients find tedious and boring.

Long-term goal of this study is to improve knee OA outcomes through effective and motivating rehabilitation exercises. The Knee Biofeedback Rehabilitation Interface for Game-based Home Therapy ("KneeBRIGHT") system combines electromyography (EMG) biofeedback with video game therapy (VGT) to provide knee OA patients with an engaging, effective tool for conducting rehabilitation exercises at home. KneeBRIGHT aims to motivate patients with knee OA to conduct regular muscle strengthening exercise through an engaging, EMG-driven video game therapy.

Participants with age from 40-75, with independent ambulation and with the diagnosis of knee OA made by x-ray and a score of at least 2 (out of 4) on the Kellgren-Lawrence OA radiographic classification system will be included in the study. Participants with psychiatric or cognitive impairment (e.g., dementia), symptomatic spine, hip, ankle, or foot disease other than OA that would interfere with assessment of the knee will be excluded. Participants with balance or vestibular disorders, peripheral neuropathy, skin conditions that prevent EMG electrode placement, prisoner, pregnant women (by report), non-English-speaking, individuals who are visually and/or hearing impaired will also be excluded.

Eligible participants will be randomized to two groups: (1) KneeBRIGHT group; (2) Standard rehabilitation group. Both groups will undergo baseline and follow up assessment to measure the patient-reported outcomes and thigh muscle strength. Participants in both groups will undergo a 12-week program including 3 exercise sessions per week that includes a combination of in-person and at home sessions

Both groups will undergo same rehabilitation protocol which will begin with sessions supervised in the clinic by the study team physical therapist and gradually home sessions will be added. Participants in KneeBRIGHT group will perform the quadriceps strengthening exercises with the video-games based activities. The EMG biofeedback units and video game w/laptop will be provided to the subjects for home use. Subjects will receive instruction on how to apply the EMG biofeedback unit and use of the video game. KneeBRIGHT Game Activities consists of an introduction of the player to the virtual world and the missions, the player customizes the personal avatar and completes a series of calibration contractions and practice exercises to gain familiarity with the game controls. Through the EMG system, a player's muscle contractions translate into physical movements of the avatar and control of vehicles within the virtual environment. Each quest-type challenge is designed to permit play in a seated, supine, supported standing, or freestanding position, based on an individual's physical status. User interactions with the game incorporate knee extension exercises and functional movements that provide optimal therapeutic benefits.

Participants in both groups will undergo combination of home and in clinic sessions. Protocol will start with six clinic visits in order to maximize familiarity with the exercise routines and equipment. Home sessions will be added after 2 weeks in rehabilitation. The sessions will consist of warm up, strengthening, balance, precision and gentle stretching exercises. Strengthening exercises will be focused on quadriceps, hamstring, calf and gluteal muscles. Stretching exercises will be focused on quadriceps, hamstring and calf muscles. Progression will be guided by the rehabilitation principles and participants response to the exercise. The amount of these exercises will depend on how they make the subject feel. The rehabilitation program will allow the subject to increase the amount of exercise they can perform. Exercises will be limited if the subject feels discomfort. Overall, protocol will consist of 36 sessions in total, 20 in clinic sessions and 16 home-based sessions.

Pre and post intervention outcome measures will be compared to explore the effectiveness. Technology acceptance will also be studied in patients randomized to KneeBRIGHT group.

Overall, KneeBRIGHT has the potential to significantly enhance OA rehabilitation by improving functional recovery through physical practice of specific, adaptive exercise and promoting adherence through fun games and performance feedback. Use of the KneeBRIGHT system in teletherapy may increase access to remote/underserved areas and extend the range of existing rehabilitation facilities.

Statistical analysis Knee function assessed by composite KOOS score prior to the study will be compared to the KOOS score recorded post-intervention to test the primary hypothesis that patients conducting the KneeBRIGHT exercise will significantly improve knee function compared to the control group. Pre-intervention KOOS scores measures will be subtracted from the post-intervention scores to produce a set of delta values. These delta values will be analyzed via Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA). A p≤0.05 decision rule will be utilized as the rejection criterion.

Questionnaire results will be used to test the hypothesis that patients using the KneeBRIGHT system demonstrate increased levels of engagement compared to those conducting a conventional exercise routine. The questionnaire scores will be tallied to produce composite scores. These composite scores will be analyzed via a linear mixed model. A p≤0.05 decision rule will be used as the null hypothesis rejection criterion.

Timing data from the home visits will be analyzed by comparing the minutes of exercise with the KneeBRIGHT system to minutes of exercise with the standard exercise regimen in the control group to test the hypothesis that exercise duration is greater with the KneeBRIGHT system. Mean usage time on each system will be analyzed via Student's paired t-test, with P v≤0.05 as the null hypothesis rejection criterion.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

38

Phase

  • Not Applicable

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

    • Virginia
      • Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, 22903
        • University of Virginia

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

40 years to 75 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age 40-75
  • Diagnosis of Osteoarthritis
  • Independent ambulation without assistive device

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Individuals who have psychiatric or cognitive impairment (e.g., dementia) that interferes with their ability to follow instructions or provide voluntary consent
  • Symptomatic spine, hip, ankle, or foot disease other than osteoarthritis that would interfere with assessment of the knee.
  • Balance or vestibular disorders
  • Peripheral neuropathy
  • Skin conditions that prevent EMG electrode placement
  • Prisoner
  • Pregnant (by report)
  • Non-English-speaking
  • Individuals who are visually and/or hearing impaired

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: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: KneeBright group
Participants in this group will perform exercises aimed to improve the muscle strength, balance and precision. Participants will perform exercises three times a week for 12 weeks. Each session will last for an hour. Some of the exercises will be performed with the KneeBright Device while playing a video game.

The KneeBRIGHT group will use KneeBright device which consists of an EMG biofeedback interface software that guides users through exercise routines. The wireless EMG sensors includes two small electrodes that will be made to stick to the quadriceps muscles both sides. KneeBRIGHT software features a virtual world wherein patients complete challenges controlling the in-game avatar with the EMG units during exercises specific to knee osteoarthritis rehabilitation.

The KneeBRIGHT software will incorporates a variety of exercises for strengthening the quadriceps and will employ algorithms based on the Daily Adjustable Progressive Resistance Exercise (DAPRE) technique, in which the quantity of repetitions performed in these sets is then used to determine the appropriate increase (or possibly decrease) in target resistance for the next sets/sessions.

Active Comparator: Standard Rehabilitation group
Participants in this group will perform exercises with the same focus and frequency. No exercises will be performed with the KneeBright device.
Participants in this group will undergo standard clinic based knee rehabilitation. Both groups will perform exact same exercises, however, no KneeBRIGHT device will be used in this group.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS)
Time Frame: KOOS scores will be measured at baseline, day 1 and at the end of intervention, at 12 weeks.
The KOOS has 5 subscales: Symptoms, Pain, Sports, Activities of Daily Living (ADL) and quality of life (QOL). Each scale is expressed on a scale from 0-100 points where 100 = best perceived knee function and 0=worst perceived knee function. The outcome of this study is expressed as a change score from pre-post treatment where positive scores indicate an improvement on each KOOS subscale.
KOOS scores will be measured at baseline, day 1 and at the end of intervention, at 12 weeks.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in Peak Torque of Thigh Muscles Strength Testing
Time Frame: Peak torque (muscle strength) will be measured at baseline, day 1 and at the end of intervention, at 12 weeks.
Thigh muscle strength will be measured at baseline and follow up. Participants will be asked to perform thigh muscle (quadriceps / knee extension) contractions while measures of strength using a dynamometer (biodex system 4) are recorded. Participants will be asked to perform repeated, maximal muscle contractions to test knee extension muscle strength on the test limb (unilateral test, one thigh tested on each particiant). We recorded peak torque defined as the maximal torque achieved during knee extension contractions. The outcome score is expressed as a change in peak torque from pre-post treatment. Positive numbers indicate increases in strength.
Peak torque (muscle strength) will be measured at baseline, day 1 and at the end of intervention, at 12 weeks.

Collaborators and Investigators

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

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 (Actual)

January 1, 2020

Primary Completion (Actual)

July 28, 2021

Study Completion (Actual)

July 28, 2021

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

November 21, 2019

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

December 2, 2019

First Posted (Actual)

December 5, 2019

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

February 21, 2023

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

February 16, 2023

Last Verified

February 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

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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