Effect of Exercise on Muscle Activity, Strength, and Balance in People With Knee Osteoarthritis

The Effect of a Group Exercise Intervention on Muscle Activation Patterns in People With Knee Osteoarthritis

This will be a clinical trial of a standardized group exercise intervention, Les Mills Thrive, and determine if it alters muscle activation patterns and improves strength, balance, and symptoms in those with knee osteoarthritis (OA). Muscle activation patterns will be assessed using surface electromyography, strength will be assessed using isokinetic dynamometry, balance will be measured using the Community Balance and Mobility Scale (CB&M), and symptoms and typical activity will be measured using two questionnaires: the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC), and the Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly (PASE). These outcome measures will be measured at baseline and after a 12-week group exercise intervention (Les Mills Thrive) for 42 older adults with knee OA. Results of this study will be disseminated via a report to Les Mills International, in community presentations, at relevant academic (e.g. Osteoarthritis Research Society International (OARSI) annual conference) and industry (e.g. Medical Fitness Association annual meeting) conferences, in an academic journal publication (e.g. Arthritis Care & Research), and through press releases or other media publications.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Participants must have received a diagnosis of knee OA from a physician and/or meet the American College of Rheumatology Clinical Classification Criteria for Osteoarthritis of the knee. The American College of Rheumatology criteria specify that a participant needs to have pain and fulfill three of the following six items: 1) aged 50 years or older, 2) no early morning stiffness or morning stiffness less than 30 minutes, 3) crepitus, 4) bony tenderness, 5) bony enlargement, 6) no palpable warmth
• They must pass the Get Active Questionnaire to ensure that they are safe to begin an exercise program (determined via recruitment email).

Exclusion Criteria:

• i) severe knee trauma, knee surgery, or intraarticular knee joint injections in the previous six months, ii) active synovitis, iii) concurrent neurological (i.e. Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's dementia, or polyneuropathy), endocrine (i.e., diabetes mellitus) and/or vestibular disorders which may affect balance, iv) chronic disease that may put them at risk during the exercise classes (i.e., history of heart failure, stroke, chronic obstructive lung disease), v) uncorrected visual impairment which may affect balance, or vi) an inflammatory rheumatic disease (i.e., rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis, and chronic reactive arthritis).