The SOAR (Stop OsteoARthritis) Program Proof-of-Concept Study

Summary

Adolescents and young adults who hurt their knees playing sports or doing recreational activities can develop joint damage, muscle weakness, inactivity, and weight gain which might lead to an increased risk of osteoarthritis (OA), a disabling joint condition in their later lives. Despite knowing that muscles and joints benefit from exercise, there is no proven exercise-based treatments to delay or even halt the onset of OA after a knee joint injury.

The current study will assess if a physiotherapist-guided intervention called Stop OsteoARthritis (SOAR) improves knee muscle strength, physical inactivity, knee-related self-efficacy, and knee-related quality of life in people at risk for osteoarthritis due to a past knee injury. A total of 70 former knee injury participants will be randomly assigned to two groups. One group will immediately start a 16-week SOAR program, while the second will wait for 9-weeks before starting an 8-week SOAR program. Trained physiotherapists will deliver the SOAR program with videoconferencing. The study hypothesis is that participating in the 8-Week SOAR program will improve the knee muscle strength, physical activity levels, knee-related self-efficacy and knee-related quality of life in people discharged from regular healthcare after a sports knee injury. The findings will help researchers understand the ideal length of the program for a future clinical trial in real-world settings.

Conditions

• Arthritis
• Osteoarthritis
• Arthritis Knee
• Osteo Arthritis Knee
• Knee Injuries
• Anterior Cruciate Ligament Tear
• Meniscus Tear

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Immediate 8-Week SOAR Program

This is an 8-week, virtually delivered, exercise-based, knee health program delivered to knee injury participants by trained physiotherapists. The program has 3 components: 1. Knee Camp: This includes an interactive education session about knee health, 1:1 knee exam, and 1:1 counseling session to identify Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound (SMART) weekly home-based exercise-therapy and physical activity goals, Participants are asked to wear Fitbit's® 24-hours/day. 2. Weekly Home-based Exercise-Therapy and Physical Activity, with Tracking: At home, participants work to meet their exercise-therapy and physical activity goals. Exercises are tracked with an online bespoke form and activity, with a Fitbit. 3. Weekly PT-guided Exercise-Therapy and Physical Activity Counseling Sessions: Each week participants will attend a 1:1 virtual physiotherapist counseling session to modify SMART goals and have the option to attend a group exercise class.

BEHAVIORAL

Delayed 8-Week SOAR Program

This is an 8-week, virtually delivered, exercise-based, knee health program delivered to knee injury participants by trained physiotherapists. The program has 3 components: 1. Knee Camp: This includes an interactive education session about knee health, 1:1 knee exam, and 1:1 counseling session to identify Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound (SMART) weekly home-based exercise-therapy and physical activity goals, Participants are asked to wear Fitbit's® 24-hours/day. 2. Weekly Home-based Exercise-Therapy and Physical Activity, with Tracking: At home, participants work to meet their exercise-therapy and physical activity goals. Exercises are tracked with an online bespoke form and activity, with a Fitbit. 3. Weekly PT-guided Exercise-Therapy and Physical Activity Counseling Sessions: Each week participants will attend a 1:1 virtual physiotherapist counseling session to modify SMART goals and have the option to attend a group exercise class.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• The Arthritis Society, Canada

  collaborator OTHER

• Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)

  collaborator OTHER_GOV

• Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research

  collaborator OTHER

• University of British Columbia

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Jackie L Whittaker, PhD, PT · University of British Columbia

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

SINGLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

16 Years

Max Age

35 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2021-09-01

Primary Completion

2023-02-28

Completion

2023-04-15

Countries

• Canada

Study Locations