Musculoskeletal & Orthopedic Biomechanics Lab
We are conducting a research study on gait (the way you walk), muscle function and physical performance in people with 1 year post total knee replacement at the UMass Memorial Gait Analysis Clinic to determine how these factors impact your pain and function in daily activities.
We are a collaboration between the FORCE-TJR Patient Registry and the Boyer Biomechanics Lab, hoping to study how patients walk before and after knee replacement. By doing this, we hope to learn whether certain factors in how patients walk contribute to better or worse outcomes after surgery. Our hope is to eventually integrate this technology into clinical practice. 1 Kurtz et al. Projections of primary and revision hip and knee arthroplasty in the United States from 2005 to 2030. J Bone Joint Surg. Am. 2007
﷯ WHY ARE WE CONDUCTING THIS STUDY? Arthritis is the most common cause of knee pain in the US. More than 600,000 total knee replacements are performed each year in the US, and that number is expected rise to several million per year by 20301.
YOU MAY BE ELIGIBLE FOR THIS STUDY IF: you are 50-80 years old you are scheduled to undergo a total knee replacement this is your first lower extremity joint replacement you can walk without aids (i.e. a cane) for short periods of time you are otherwise in good general health and do not have Parkinson's Disease, MS, or rheumatoid arthritis you have already enrolled in the FORCE-TJR patient registry
WHAT DOES THIS STUDY INVOLVE? As part of this study, you will be scheduled for a study visit in the UMass Memorial Gait Lab. During this visit, you will fill out questionnaires, perform muscle strength testing, and walk back and forth on a track as part of a gait analysis. Appointments are scheduled at your convenience, and can usually be scheduled when you are planning on returning to UMass Memorial for a clinic or pre-operative visit. The questionnaires take about 5 minutes to complete. The muscle strength testing takes about a half hour and the gait analysis takes about an hour. You will be asked to wear comfortable clothing and sneakers, and we can provide shorts for you. We will attach small stickers to your hips, legs, feet, shoulders, and arms. The stickers have reflective markers that are picked up by the cameras that will record how you walk. The cameras then generate a 3D picture on a computer of exactly how you walk. Participation in this study is entirely voluntary, and is completely unrelated to any care you receive at UMass Memorial, now or in the future. You will be provided with a valet parking voucher to cover your parking for your visit.