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Somatosensory Stimulation in Knee Osteoarthritis

NCT02854176 · Status: UNKNOWN · Phase: PHASE2 · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 20

Last updated 2016-08-03

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

Worldwide, 9.6% of men and 18% of women aged over 60 years suffer from osteoarthritis (OA), most of which involve the knee. Within the OA patient population, 80% of the OA patients have limitations of movement, and 25% cannot perform the majority of their daily activities (WHO). Some of these symptoms contribute to arthrogenic muscle inhibition (AMI), a reflexive decrease in motor output to the muscles surrounding the affected joint.

AMI is characterized by abnormal afferent information transmitted to the central nervous system, resulting in altered afferent feedback to the quadriceps motoneurons (MN) which in turn results in reduced excitability of that particular pool. The altered afferent input is suggested to stem from stimulation of mechanoreceptors, via joint effusion or excessive movements, nociceptors as a response to pain, or loss of joint receptors (Palmieri-Smith et al., 2009). Although the evidence concerning the role of the central nervous system is scarce, pre- and postsynaptic spinal mechanisms directly affecting alpha-MNs seem affected. Dysfunction of γ-loops also seems to be involved (Konishi et al., 2002). These mechanisms together result in AMI that manifests through aberrations in voluntary quadriceps torque, force control, and reflex excitability often measured by the H-reflex (Hopkins et al., 2000).

Besides the evident role of motor efferents, sensory afferents also influence motor control (Gentilucci et al., 1997) and poor proprioceptive function is predictive of poor chair-stand performance (Sharma et al., 2003). Reduction of the sensory deficits could potentially increase motor function in knee OA. The present study aims to evaluate whether low-intensity peripheral electrical nerve stimulation, a form of increasing afferent input, could potentially improve OA patients' motor function. The most limiting factor in OA patients, however, is pain, experienced at rest and during movement. Although previous paradigms used high-frequency stimulation and the lack of physiological explanations concerning pain reductions after peripheral electrical nerve stimulation, it is possible that reductions in experienced pain are mediated by reduced analgesia, i.e., decreased excitability of nociceptive neurons.

Conditions

  • Osteoarthritis, Knee

Interventions

PROCEDURE

Somatosensory electrical stimulation

PROCEDURE

Control

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • Schulthess Klinik

    collaborator OTHER

  • Menno Veldman

    lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Model
CROSSOVER

Eligibility

Min Age
18 Years
Max Age
75 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2016-09-30
Primary Completion
2016-12-31
Completion
2017-08-31

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Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT02854176 on ClinicalTrials.gov