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Completed

NCT Number: NCT00662493

A Comparison of Two Exercise Programs on Knee Motor Control

Pain at the front of the knee is a common condition treated by physical therapists. Treatment may consist of generalised strengthening exercises directed at the quadriceps muscle or specific retraining aimed at restoring motor control at the knee. This study compared these two exercise programs in a group of people who were painfree at the time to evaluate their effect on motor control. It was hypothesised that only the motor retraining program would influence motor control at the knee.

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Key information

Conditions

Knee Pain Behavior Joint Diseases Motor Activity Musculoskeletal Diseases Patellofemoral Pain Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome

Age range

16 year–40 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Phase 2

Primary location

University of Melbourne

Melbourne, Victoria, 3010, Australia

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • aged between 16-40 years, with the upper age limit to reduce the likelihood of osteoarthritic changes in the patellofemoral joint
  • a self-reported history of anterior or retropatellar knee pain with insidious onset of symptoms and with at least one episode of pain in the past 12 months where pain was aggravated by at least two of the following: prolonged sitting, stairs, squat, running, kneeling and hopping/jumping
  • currently asymptomatic for at least 8 weeks prior to assessment
  • delay in the onset of VMO EMG relative to that of VL of greater than 10 ms during either the ascent or descent of a stair stepping task

Exclusion criteria

  • current knee pain
  • history of knee surgery or other knee injury in previous 12 months
  • physiotherapy treatment for knee pain in the past 12 months
  • history of patellar dislocation/subluxation
  • clinical evidence of meniscal lesion, ligamentous instability, traction apophysitis around the patellofemoral complex, patellar tendon pathology, chondral damage, osteoarthritis and spinal referred pain
  • current lower limb pathology affecting their ability to satisfactorily complete the testing or exercise protocol
  • current use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory or corticosteroid drugs
  • inability to communicate and comprehend written or verbal instructions in English

Treatment and study plan

Motor control retraining program

Behavioral

Specific retraining of VMO activation in a low-load situation,and progressed to integrate more functional positions. Use of dual channel biofeedback was incorporated

Quadriceps strengthening program

Behavioral

4 exercises focused on quadriceps strengthening commencing at a resistance of 60% 1 repetition maximum. Each exercise was performed for 3 sets of 10 repetitions

Primary outcomes

  1. latency between the onset of VMO electromyographic activity relative to that of VL during stair ascent and stair descent measured using surface electrodes

    Time frame: 6 weeks with 8 week followup

Secondary outcomes

  1. Concentric and eccentric quadriceps muscle strength as assessed by isokinetic dynamometry

    Time frame: 6 weeks with 8 week followup

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University of Melbourne

Other

Collaborators

  • National Health and Medical Research Council, Australia

Registry information

Official study title

The Effect of Specific Versus Generalised Quadriceps Exercise on Neural Control of the Vasti

Important dates

Study start
2003
Primary completion
2005
Study completion
2005
First posted
Apr 21, 2008
Registry last updated
Apr 21, 2008

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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