AzTrials
AzTrials

Anterior Cruciate Ligament ReconstructionNCT03035994

Effect of Altered Mechanical Loading in ACLR

A study testing Real-Time Biofeedback in people with Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction, run by University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
Search all trials

Trial summary

Altered loading is a causative factor for the development of knee osteoarthritis following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR), and real-time biofeedback may be an effective intervention to manipulate altered mechanical loading about the knee. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 to 35 years
What is being tested?
Real-Time Biofeedback
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
30 participants
Where
No sites listed yet
Study dates
Jul 2016to Apr 2017
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 to 35 years
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult

Who may be able to join

  • Have a history of a primary, unilateral ACLR using either a hamstring or patellar tendon autograft, cleared by a physical for full return to physical activity with no limitations, and participate in at least 30 minutes of physical activity 3 times per week

Who cannot join

  • History of injury to either leg, other than ACLR (e.g. ankle sprain, muscle strain), within 6 months prior to participation in the study, history of lower extremity surgery other than ACLR, history of osteoarthritis or current symptoms related to knee osteoarthritis (e.g. pain, swelling, stiffness), currently pregnant, or planning to become pregnant while enrolled in the study, cardiovascular restrictions that limit the participant's ability to participate in physical activity.

About this study

Official title: Effect of Altered Mechanical Loading on Lower Extremity Biomechanics and Biochemical Markers in Individuals With an Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction

Altered loading is a causative factor for the development of knee osteoarthritis following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR), and real-time biofeedback may be an effective intervention to manipulate altered mechanical loading about the knee. The purpose of this study is to 1) determine if ACLR participants are able to acquire and retain various loading patterns using real-time biofeedback, 2) determine the effect of altered loading on lower extremity biomechanics during walking gait, and 3) determine the effect of altered loading on biochemical markers of collagen turnover and inflammation during walking gait.

Read the detailed description

Participants will attend 4 testing sessions. Lower extremity biomechanical outcomes and blood samples will be taken before and following the participant walking at a self-selected speed for 20 minutes. During the 20 minutes of treadmill walking real-time biofeedback will be displayed in an attempt to alter mechanical loading. Participants will complete a control, overloading, under-loading, average loading testing session. Order of loading condition will be randomized.

Being tested
Real-Time Biofeedback

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • Real-Time BiofeedbackOther

    A custom written MatLab script will sample bilateral peak vertical ground reaction forces and display the magnitude in real time on a screen placed in front of the participant. A target line will be placed in the middle of the screen which corresponds to one of the three loading conditions. Participants will be instructed to alter their movement in an attempt to match each limb's vertical ground reaction force to the target line.

Study groups in NCT03035994
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
OverloadingExperimentalParticipants will walk on a force-instrumented treadmill for 20 minutes and will be provided visual biofeedback consisting of bilateral vertical ground reaction force. A target will be placed at 10% greater than the participant's baseline vertical ground reaction force. Participants will be asked to alter their walking gait in an attempt to reach the target line with each step.
Receives: Other: Real-Time Biofeedback
UnderloadingExperimentalParticipants will walk on a force-instrumented treadmill for 20 minutes and will be provided visual biofeedback consisting of bilateral vertical ground reaction force. A target will be placed at 10% lower than the participant's baseline vertical ground reaction force. Participants will be asked to alter their walking gait in an attempt to reach the target line with each step.
Receives: Other: Real-Time Biofeedback
AverageExperimentalParticipants will walk on a force-instrumented treadmill for 20 minutes and will be provided visual biofeedback consisting of bilateral vertical ground reaction force. A target will be placed at the average of each participant's baseline vertical ground reaction force between limbs. Participants will be asked to alter their walking gait in an attempt to reach the target line with each step.
Receives: Other: Real-Time Biofeedback
ControlNo interventionParticipants will walk for 20 minutes on a force-instrumented treadmill and will not be provided biofeedback.

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Difference in acquisition as measured in root mean square error (RMSE) between loading conditions

    Measured: Change in acquisition over 20 minute intervention

  2. Difference in joint loading as measured in peak vertical ground reaction force normalized to body weight (xBW) between loading conditions

    Measured: Change in joint loading over 20 minute intervention

  3. Difference in cartilage turnover as measured in serum concentration of cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (pg/mL) between loading conditions

    Measured: Chance in cartilage turnover over 20 minute intervention

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted30 Jan 2017 (estimated)
  2. Study startJul 2016
  3. Primary completionFeb 2017
  4. Study completionApr 2017

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Primary purpose
Basic science
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Crossover
Masking
Single blind
Who is masked
Participant
Enrolment
30 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT03035994
Sponsor's protocol ID
16-0409
Status last verified
Apr 2017
First submitted
22 Jan 2017
Last updated
19 Apr 2017
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
No

Publications

  • Luc-Harkey BA, Franz J, Hackney AC, Blackburn JT, Padua DA, Schwartz T, Davis-Wilson H, Spang J, Pietrosimone B. Immediate Biochemical Changes After Gait Biofeedback in Individuals With Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction. J Athl Train. 2020 Oct 1;55(10):1106-1115. doi: 10.4085/1062-6050-0372.19.

    PubMed 32966563
  • Luc-Harkey BA, Franz JR, Blackburn JT, Padua DA, Hackney AC, Pietrosimone B. Real-time biofeedback can increase and decrease vertical ground reaction force, knee flexion excursion, and knee extension moment during walking in individuals with anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. J Biomech. 2018 Jul 25;76:94-102. doi: 10.1016/j.jbiomech.2018.05.043. Epub 2018 Jun 15.

    PubMed 29921523

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Real-Time Biofeedback in people with Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction, run by University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 1 inclusion and 1 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 19 Apr 2017. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Difference in acquisition as measured in root mean square error (RMSE) between loading conditions (time frame: Change in acquisition over 20 minute intervention). The study lists 3 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT03035994, which also lists 2 linked publications.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 19 Apr 2017.

Free account

Keep searching with a free account

You’ve used your 3 free searches for this session. Log in or create a free AzTrials account to keep searching clinical trials and save the ones you want to follow.

Create a free accountLog in