Activity Increase Despite Arthritis (AÏDA): phase II randomised controlled trial of an active management booklet for hip and knee osteoarthritis in primary care. The effects of hip muscle strengthening on knee load, pain, and function in people with knee osteoarthritis: a protocol for a randomised, single-blind controlled trial [Psychological mechanisms in the transition from acute to chronic pain: over- or underrated?]. Impact of chronic musculoskeletal pathology on older adults: a study of differences between knee OA and low back pain. Is there an evidence-based efficacy for the use of foot orthotics in knee and hip osteoarthritis? Elaboration of French clinical practice guidelines. The factor subdimensions of the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) help to specify hip and knee osteoarthritis. a prospective evaluation and validation study. Activity Increase Despite Arthritis (AÏDA): design of a Phase II randomised controlled trial evaluating an active management booklet for hip and knee osteoarthritis [ISRCTN24554946] Occupational physical loading tasks and knee osteoarthritis: a review of the evidence. The association of comorbid conditions with patient-reported outcomes in Veterans with hip and knee osteoarthritis The Cost Utility of Autologous Chondrocytes Implantation Using ChondroCelect® in Symptomatic Knee Cartilage Lesions in Belgium
BACKGROUND The Hip & Knee Book : Helping you cope with osteoarthritis was developed to change disadvantageous beliefs and encourage physical activity in people with hip or knee osteoarthritis . AIM To assess the feasibility of conducting a definitive r and omised controlled trial ( RCT ) of this evidence -based booklet in people with hip or knee osteoarthritis . DESIGN Phase II feasibility r and omised controlled trial ( RCT ) . METHOD Computerised search es of patients ' record data bases identified people with osteoarthritis of the hip or knee , who were invited to participate in the RCT comparing the new booklet with a control booklet . Outcomes were measured at baseline , 1 month , and 3 months , and included : beliefs about hip and knee pain , exercise , and fear avoidance ; level of physical activity ; and health service use . RESULTS The trial methods were feasible in terms of recruitment , r and omisation , and follow-up , but most participants recruited had longst and ing established symptoms . After one and 3 months , there was a small relative improvement in illness , exercise , and fear-avoidance beliefs and physical activity level in The Hip & Knee Book group ( n = 59 ) compared with the control group ( n = 60 ) , which provides some proof of principle for using these outcomes in future trials . CONCLUSION This feasibility study provided proof of principle for testing The Hip & Knee Book in a larger definitive RCT Background Lower limb strengthening exercises are an important component of the treatment for knee osteoarthritis ( OA ) . Strengthening the hip abductor and adductor muscles may influence joint loading and /or OA-related symptoms , but no study has evaluated these hypotheses directly . The aim of this r and omised , single-blind controlled trial is to determine whether hip abductor and adductor muscle strengthening can reduce knee load and improve pain and physical function in people with medial compartment knee OA . Methods / Design 88 participants with painful , radiographically confirmed medial compartment knee OA and varus alignment will be recruited from the community and r and omly allocated to a hip strengthening or control group using concealed allocation stratified by disease severity . The hip strengthening group will perform 6 exercises to strengthen the hip abductor and adductor muscles at home 5 times per week for 12 weeks . They will consult with a physiotherapist on 7 occasions to be taught the exercises and progress exercise resistance . The control group will be requested to continue with their usual care . Blinded follow up assessment will be conducted at 12 weeks after r and omisation . The primary outcome measure is the change in the peak external knee adduction moment measured during walking . Question naires will assess changes in pain and physical function as well as overall perceived rating of change . An intention-to-treat analysis will be performed using linear regression modelling and adjusting for baseline outcome values and other demographic characteristics . Discussion Results from this trial will contribute to the evidence regarding the effect of hip strengthening on knee loads and symptoms in people with medial compartment knee OA . If shown to reduce the knee adduction moment , hip strengthening has the potential to slow disease progression . Trial Registration Australia New Zeal and Clinical Trials Registry INTRODUCTION During the last 20 years a great number of studies have emphasized the potential role of psychological factors as relevant predictors for the first onset of back pain as well as for the development of chronic pain . The formulation of a biopsychosocial perspective of the etiology and chronicity of back pain was a natural consequence . Actual questions concern the relative impact of psychological risk factors in the process of chronicity of back pain compared to biomedical , social and occupational factors . METHODS Whereas several review articles regarding the role of psychological risk factors are available up to now , a recently published review conducted by Steven Linton was the first systematic analysis of well controlled prospect i ve studies published since 1967 . Using a grading system similar to that recommended for guidelines the author defined a level A evidence when at least two good- quality prospect i ve studies supported the prospect i ve power of a variable . Level B evidence had support from one prospect i ve study . Level C represented inconclusive data and level D indicated that no studies met the criteria . Based on a literature search of more than 900 studies , 37 good- quality prospect i ve studies were analysed in detail . RESULTS The results indicated level A evidence for the following interrelations : ( 1 ) Psychosocial variables , especially chronic distress in daily life , depression and work dissatisfaction were clearly associated with the onset of back and neck pain ( 2 ) . Psychological variables , especially chronic stress in daily life , work dissatisfaction , depression and pain-related cognitions and coping behaviour were clearly linked to the transition from acute to chronic pain and disability ( 3 ) . Psychological variables generally had more prospect i ve power than biomedical , social or objective occupational variables . Among the pain-related cognitions , catastrophizing and fear-avoidance-beliefs yielded the most empirical support . Among coping behaviour passive coping stretegies such as avoiding behaviour was most important . At least level B evidence has been shown for the counterpart of an extreme suppressive coping behaviour . Patients who tended to suppress or ignore pain in order to finish all activities they started , who were unable to integrate phases of passive relaxation into the daily routine displayed a high risk of chronicity of pain 6 months after an acute phase of pain . One international and two German good- quality prospect i ve studies have shown the predictive power of a maladaptive suppressive behaviour pattern . Based on the avoidance-endurance-model of pain chronification , both extreme and one-sided passive pain coping as well as one-sided suppressive coping modes were conceptualized as maladaptive due to the process of chronicity . We assume that extreme passive behaviour will lead to immobility and muscular atrophy . Neurophysiological processes of sensitization will further lead to the development of chronic pain . On the other h and , extreme suppressive behaviour will lead to an overuse of muscles and joints with a repetitive combination of muscular hyperactivity and pain . These repetitive pain experiences will also elicit neurophysiological processes of sensitization . ( 4 ) Psychosocial variables displayed more predictive power than biomedical or biomechanical factors . ( 5 ) Psychosocial factors may be used as predictors of the risk for developing long-term pain and disability . Mixed empirical evidence has been shown for the role of personality factors ( level C evidence ) and no support has been found for the idea of a " pain prone " personality disorder or for the role of sexual and physical abuse . DISCUSSION 20 years of research , several qualitative review s and a recently published systematic review of 37 good- quality prospect i ve studies regarding the role of psychological , biomedical , social and objective occupational factors in the process of chronicity of back pain revealed that psychological factors are significantly related to the onset of back pain as well as to the development of chronic pain . Furthermore , the psychological factors displayed more predictive power than biomedical or biomechanical variables . As a consequence for clinical practice , these psychological risk factors have to be considered as " yellow flags " if a back pain problem wo n't respond to medical treatment for more than four weeks . As a further consequence , special risk factor - based psychosocial interventions should be offered in addition to the medical treatment to patients with high psychological risk factors for the development of chronic pain . The efficacy of such an interdisciplinary care in the very early phases of back pain in order to prevent chronicity of pain and disability has been published recently by our group OBJECTIVES The study aim ed to compare the psychological and physical characteristics of older adults with knee osteoarthritis ( OA ) vs those of adults with chronic low back pain ( CLBP ) and to identify psychological and physical predictors of function as measured by gait speed . DESIGN Secondary data analysis . METHOD AND PATIENTS Eighty-eight older adults with advanced knee OA and 200 with CLBP who had participated in separate r and omized controlled trials were selected for this study . MEASURES Inclusion criteria for both trials included age > or = 65 and pain of at least moderate intensity that occurred daily or almost every day for at least the previous 3 months .  Psychological constructs ( catastrophizing , fear avoidance , self-efficacy , depression , affective distress ) and physical measures ( comorbid medical conditions , pain duration , pain severity , pain related interference , self-rated health ) were obtained . RESULTS Subjects with CLBP had slower gait ( 0.88 m/s vs 0.96 m/s , P = 0.002 ) and more comorbid conditions than subjects with knee pain ( mean 3.36 vs 1.97 , P < 0.001 ) . All the psychological measures were significantly worse in the CLBP group except the Multidimensional Pain Inventory-Affective Distress score . Self-efficacy , pain severity , and medical comorbidity burden were associated with slower gait regardless of the location of the pain . CONCLUSIONS Older adults with chronic pain may have distinct psychological and physical profiles that differentially impact gait speed . These findings suggest that not all pain conditions are the same in their psychological and physical characteristics and may need to be taken into consideration when developing treatment plans OBJECTIVE To develop clinical practice guidelines for the use of foot orthotics ( FO ) in the treatment of knee and hip osteoarthritis . METHOD The SOFMER ( French Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Society ) methodology , associating a systematic review of the literature , input from every day clinical practice and external review by a multidisciplinary expert committee , was used . The selected analysis criteria were  pain , disability , medications used and X-ray evolution of osteoarthritis .  The recommendations are classified according to the level of proof in Grade A , B or C according to the French National Agency for Health Accreditation and Evaluation ( NAHAE ) . RESULTS In medial knee osteoarthritis , foot pronation orthotics -- when there are no contraindications -- can be proposed for their symptomatic impact , especially in the decrease of NSAIDs consumption ( Grade B ) . To this day , there is no evidence of a structural or functional impact on osteoarthritis ( Grade B ) . Outside of this specific clinical framework , there is no vali date d indication for prescribing foot orthotics in the treatment of knee or hip OA ( Grade C ) . CONCLUSION It is necessary to have further r and omized controlled trials to better define the indication of Foot orthotics ( severity of knee OA , genu varum ) , test the efficacy of other orthoses such as cushioning FO . The long-term side effects , mainly on the external femorotibial compartment could also be assessed . A medical and economical assessment of FO prescriptions is also quite necessary OBJECTIVE To determine whether it is possible to specify different score patterns for hip and knee osteoarthritis ( OA ) , and to identify the degree of responsiveness and the validity of the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index ( WOMAC ) factors , which are alternative health dimensions obtained by factor analysis of the WOMAC items . METHODS  WOMAC scales and WOMAC factors  were compared in a prospect i ve setting examining patients with hip and knee OA before and after rehabilitative inpatient intervention ( n = 317 ) . In a partial sample ( n = 103 ) , the validity of the WOMAC factors was determined by a global rating of their activities . RESULTS The WOMAC factor " ascending/descending " was significantly different for hip and knee OA in the health state before therapy ( score in hip 5.09 , in knee 6.59 ; p < 0.001 ) ; this was also true of the effect size after therapy ( hip 0.39 , knee 0.65 ; p = 0.012 ) . The WOMAC scales did not differ for the 2 conditions . The WOMAC factor " ascending/descending " was the most responsive dimension in knee OA ( effect size 0.65 ) , but in hip OA the WOMAC pain scale was most responsive ( effect size 0.55 ) . Most of the WOMAC factors correlated moderately ( r = 0.52 - 0.69 ) with the patient 's self-rating on the validation question naire . CONCLUSION The WOMAC factors are valid measures . Analyzing the WOMAC by the WOMAC factors facilitates and improves the differential relevance and accuracy of the WOMAC for specific conditions such as hip and knee OA Background Hip and knee osteoarthritis is a common cause of pain and disability , which can be improved by exercise interventions . However , regular exercise is uncommon in this group because the low physical activity level in the general population is probably reduced even further by pain related fear of movement . The best method of encouraging increased activity in this patient group is not known . A booklet has been developed for patients with hip or knee osteoarthritis . It focuses on changing disadvantageous beliefs and encouraging increased physical activity . Methods / Design This paper describes the design of a Phase II r and omised controlled trial ( RCT ) to test the effectiveness of this new booklet for patients with hip and knee osteoarthritis in influencing illness and treatment beliefs , and to assess the feasibility of conducting a larger definitive RCT in terms of health status and exercise behaviour . A computerised search of four general medical practice patients ' record data bases will identify patients older than 50 years of age who have consulted with hip or knee pain in the previous twelve months . A r and om sample of 120 will be invited to participate in the RCT comparing the new booklet  with a control booklet , and we expect 100 to return final question naires . This trial will assess the feasibility of recruitment and r and omisation , the suitability of the control intervention and outcome measurement tools , and will provide an estimate of effect size . Outcomes will include beliefs about hip and knee pain , beliefs about exercise , fear avoidance , level of physical activity , health status and health service costs . They will be measured at baseline , one month and three months . Discussion We discuss the merits of testing effectiveness in a phase II trial , in terms of intermediate outcome measures , whilst testing the processes for a larger definitive trial . We also discuss the advantages and disadvantages of testing the psychometric properties of the primary outcome measures concurrently with the trial . Trial registration Current Controlled Trials IS RCT UNLABELLED Purpose : To perform a systematic review with best evidence synthesis examining the literature on the relationship between occupational loading tasks and  knee osteoarthritis ( OA ) . METHODS Two data bases were search ed to identify articles published between 1946 and April , 2011 . Eligible studies were those that ( 1 ) included adults reporting on their employment history ; ( 2 ) measured individuals ' exposure to work-related activities with heavy loading in the knee joint ; and ( 3 ) identified presence of knee OA ( determined by X-ray ) , cartilage defects associated with knee OA ( identified by magnetic resonance imaging ) , or joint replacement surgery . RESULTS A total of 32 articles from 31 studies met the inclusion criteria . We found moderate evidence that combined heavy lifting and kneeling is a risk factor for knee OA , with odds ratios ( OR ) varying from 1.8 to 7.9 , and limited evidence for heavy lifting ( OR=1.4 - 7.3 ) , kneeling ( OR=1.5 - 6.9 ) , stair climbing ( OR=1.6 - 5.1 ) , and occupational groups ( OR=1.4 - 4.7 ) as risk factors . When examined by sex , moderate level evidence of knee OA was found in men ; however , the evidence in women was limited . CONCLUSIONS Further high- quality prospect i ve studies are warranted to provide further evidence on the role of occupational loading tasks in knee OA , particularly in women There is limited underst and ing of how comorbid health conditions affect osteoarthritis (OA)-related outcomes . This study examined associations of different comorbidity measures with baseline OA-related patient-reported outcomes ( PROs ) among patients with hip and knee OA . Data were from patients ( N = 300 , 9 % female , mean age = 61.1 ; SD = 9.2 ) enrolled in a r and omized control trial at the Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center . Separate multivariable regression models , adjusted for demographic and clinical characteristics , examined the association of each comorbidity measure with baseline PROs : pain , physical function , depressive symptoms , fatigue , and insomnia . Comorbidity measures included the Self-Administered Comorbidity Question naire ( SACQ ) , conditions reported as activity-limiting ( SACQ-AL ) , and indicators of depression , diabetes , hypertension , and back pain . Mean ( SD ) numbers of comorbid conditions and activity-limiting conditions were 3.4 ( 1.8 ) and 1.6 ( 1.4 ) , respectively . Comorbidity scores  ( SACQ overall and SACQ-AL ) and individual comorbidity conditions were each associated with worse OA-related PROs adjusting for demographic and clinical factors . Worse SACQ overall and SACQ-AL scores were associated with worse mean scores for pain , depressive symptoms , fatigue , and insomnia ( p values < 0.01 ) . Additionally , increasing SACQ-AL scores were associated with worse mean scores for function ( p < 0.01 ) . Depression was associated with worse pain ( p = 0.03 ) , fatigue , and insomnia ( p values < 0.01 ) . Diabetes was associated with worse fatigue ( p = 0.01 ) , depressive symptoms ( p = 0.02 ) , and insomnia ( p = 0.03 ) . Back pain was associated with worse pain scores ( p = 0.02 ) . Results provide evidence that comorbidity burden , particularly activity-limiting conditions , is associated with worse OA-related PROs . Interventions for patients with OA need to address comorbid conditions and their impact on key outcomes Abstract Background : Knee cartilage lesions increase the risk of developing osteoarthritis ( OA ) , and may eventually result in a total knee replacement ( TKR ) . There is currently no consensus on the optimal treatment of cartilage lesions . ChondroCelect ® ( CC ) is a cell-based therapy approved for use in autologous chondrocytes implantation ( ACI ) to treat symptomatic cartilage defects of the femoral condyle . Its capacity to safely restore good- quality cartilage was demonstrated in a r and omized controlled trial ( RCT ) versus the surgical procedure microfracture ( MFX ) . Objective : This study investigated the cost utility of CC used in ACI compared with MFX to treat symptomatic knee cartilage lesions in Belgium . Methods : A decision tree model comparing CC with MFX over a 40-year horizon was developed in TreeAge Pro ™ . The key timepoints of the model were ( i ) clinical assessment 5 years after initial intervention ( success or no success , with or without re-operation ) ; ( ii ) development of OA at 15 years ( yes/no ) ; ( iii ) need for TKR at 20 years ( yes/no ) ; and ( iv ) need for prosthesis revision at 35 years ( yes/no ) . Clinical data provided by the RCT of CC versus MFX were the clinical success ( response ) rate based on the Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score ( KOOS ) at 36 months ( 82.9 % vs 62.0 % ; p = 0.048 ) and the proportion of good structural repair/presence of hyaline cartilage based on International Cartilage Repair Society ( ICRS II ) visual item at 12 months ( 44.9 % vs 23.2 % ; p= 0.023 ) . Utility scores by surgery outcome were derived from the SF-36 question naire responses collected in the RCT . Conservative assumptions related to the incidences of OA , TKR and prosthesis revision relied on a literature search . A patient chart review ( n = 82 ) provided follow-up costs by surgery outcome . National tariffs were applied to direct medical re sources used ( healthcare payer perspective , year 2008 costs ) . Annual discounting was applied to costs ( 3 % ) and effects ( 1.5 % ) as recommended by the Belgian pharmacoeconomic guidelines . Results : The incremental cost per QALY gained for CC compared with MFX was € 16 229 , with a difference in costs of € 20 802 and 1.282 QALYs gained . Sensitivity analyses indicated that the key model drivers were the proportion of patients with hyaline cartilage and the correlation between hyaline cartilage formation and later avoidance of OA . Probabilistic sensitivity analyses showed robustness of the results , with 80 % of the simulations below the usual UK National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence ( NICE ) threshold of € 22 000 per QALY . Conclusions : Assuming a good correlation between high- quality cartilage repair and avoidance of OA at a later stage , the benefits of the cell therapy CC over MFX in terms of QALYs gained and OA-related costs avoided appear real . Further research is required to explore long-term effects of cartilage repair and reduce uncertainty on quality of life of patients with OA before and after joint replacement
In knee OA , strong evidence was found that avoidance of activities is associated with activity limitations via muscle weakness ( mediation by muscle weakness ) , strong evidence was found for an association between muscle weakness and activity limitations , and weak evidence was found that pain and psychological distress are associated with muscle weakness via avoidance of activities ( mediation by avoidance ) .
In hip OA , weak evidence was found for mediation by muscle weakness ; and strong evidence was found for an association between muscle weakness and activity limitations .
The avoidance model in patients with knee and hip osteoarthritis ( OA ) hypothesizes that pain and psychological distress lead to avoidance of activities , and thereby to muscle weakness and activity limitations .
This paper systematic ally review s the scientific evidence for the validity of this avoidance model .