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NCT Number: NCT06646536

The Effect of Anti-Gravity Treadmill Training in Patients With Meniscus Tears

The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of anti-gravity treadmill training on symptoms and functions in patients with meniscus tears.

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Key information

Conditions

Meniscus Tear Behavior Motor Activity

Age range

18 year–40 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Bezmialem Vakif University

Istanbul, Eyup, Turkey (Türkiye)

Location status: Recruiting

Location contact

Kubra Alpay

CONTACT

+902124012600 ext. 4638

About this study

Meniscus tears are one of the most common sports-related injuries. Acute trauma-related tears are more common in active young individuals and athletes. Symptoms such as pain, effusion, tenderness at the joint line, locking, and knee dysfunction are observed after injury. It is aimed to provide painless movement, normal knee kinematics, and retaining of muscle strength in rehabilitation process. Anti-gravity treadmills use an inflatable space around the lower extremities and significantly reduce body weight during walking and running. Anti-gravity treadmill training protects the joint and surrounding soft tissues against the negative effects of loading during the post-injury recovery process, and allows the tissues to heal safely. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of anti-gravity treadmill training on symptoms and functions in patients with meniscus tears.

Patients will be randomly divided into three groups: Anti-Gravity Treadmill Group, Conventional Treadmill Group, and Control Group. All patients will be included physiotherapy and rehabilitation program for 6 weeks, 2 days a week. While subjects in the Anti-Gravity Treadmill Group will participate to training anti-gravity treadmill walking, subjects in the Conventional Treadmill Group will participate walking program on a standard treadmill. Symptoms and functions will be assessed baseline and after 6-week program.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

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

Inclusion criteria

  • Age between 18-40 years old
  • Clinical history and symptoms consistent with MRI-confirmed meniscus tear

Exclusion criteria

  • History of previous knee surgery
  • Other knee ligament pathologies
  • Neurological disorders

Treatment and study plan

Anti-gravity treadmill training

Other

Patients will participate to anti-gravity treadmill (Alter G) walking program in addition to physiotherapy and rehabilitation program for 6 weeks, 2 days a week.

Conventional treadmill training

Other

Patients will participate to walking program on a standard treadmill in addition to physiotherapy and rehabilitation program for 6 weeks, 2 days a week.

Standard physiotherapy and rehabilitation program

Other

Patients will participate to physiotherapy and rehabilitation program for 6 weeks, 2 days a week.

Primary outcomes

  1. Visual analog scale-pain

    Time frame: Baseline, 6 weeks

    Patients will be asked to mark the intensity of the pain they feel on a 10 cm line, where "0" means no pain and "10" means very severe pain.

  2. Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score

    Time frame: Baseline, 6 weeks

    The Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) is used to assess symptoms and functional status in knee injuries and osteoarthritis and consists of five dimensions. Each dimension is scored separately and transformed to a scale from 0 to 100. Lower scores from the scale indicate worse pain, symptoms, function, and quality of life.

  3. Dynamic stability

    Time frame: Baseline, 6 weeks

    The single leg dynamic stability will be assessed by using Biodex Balance System® (Biodex Medical Systems, Inc. USA). Low values of the stability index indicate better balance and stability.

  4. Single leg-hop test

    Time frame: Baseline, 6 weeks

    In the single-leg hop test, the measurement of the landing distance from the starting line is recorded for evaluation.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Western Ontario Meniscal Evaluation Tool

    Time frame: Baseline, 6 weeks

    The Western Ontario Meniscal Evaluation Tool (WOMET) is a disease-specific assessment tool used to assess health-related quality of life in patients with meniscus pathology. The least symptomatic score is 0, and the most symptomatic score possible is 1,600. Higher scores indicate a more symptomatic condition.

  2. Kinesiophobia

    Time frame: Baseline, 6 weeks

    The Tampa Kinesiophobia Scale will be used to evaluate kinesiophobia. Scores obtained from the scale range from 17 to 68, with higher scores indicating greater severity of kinesiophobia.

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Kubra Alpay, PhD

CONTACT

[email protected]

+902124012600 ext. 4638

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Bezmialem Vakif University

Other

Registry information

Official study title

The Effect of Anti-Gravity Treadmill Training on Symptoms and Functions in Patients With Meniscus Tears

Important dates

Study start
2025
Primary completion
2026
Study completion
2026
First posted
Oct 17, 2024
Registry last updated
Jul 8, 2025

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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