Dynamic Gait Index as a Functional Gait Assessment Measure in Children With JIA

NCT ID: NCT06870045

Last Updated: 2025-11-28

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

Get a concise snapshot of the trial, including recruitment status, study phase, enrollment targets, and key timeline milestones.

Recruitment Status

RECRUITING

Total Enrollment

52 participants

Study Classification

OBSERVATIONAL

Study Start Date

2025-02-01

Study Completion Date

2026-06-30

Brief Summary

Review the sponsor-provided synopsis that highlights what the study is about and why it is being conducted.

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is one of the most common chronic rheumatic diseases seen in childhood. Pain, joint swelling and loss of function caused by inflammation significantly reduce the patients' quality of life and lead to muscle weakness, limited range of motion and gait disorders. Although there are various clinical assessment methods, there is no functional test in the current literature that evaluates walking in children with JIA.

The Dynamic Gait Index (DGI) is a functional walking scale that evaluates walking on level ground, walking while changing speed, walking with sideways head turns, walking with vertical head turns, walking with pivot turns, walking by jumping over obstacles, going around obstacles and climbing stairs. While the DGA is widely used in the clinical assessment of walking in older adults and other pediatric patient groups, it has not yet been investigated for the assessment of walking difficulties in children with JIA. This study aimed to determine whether the DYI is a usable tool for assessing walking in children with JIA.

Detailed Description

Dive into the extended narrative that explains the scientific background, objectives, and procedures in greater depth.

Conditions

See the medical conditions and disease areas that this research is targeting or investigating.

Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis Childhood Rheumatic Disease

Study Design

Understand how the trial is structured, including allocation methods, masking strategies, primary purpose, and other design elements.

Observational Model Type

COHORT

Study Time Perspective

PROSPECTIVE

Study Groups

Review each arm or cohort in the study, along with the interventions and objectives associated with them.

Patient group

This group will be created with children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis.

Physical examination

Intervention Type OTHER

The physical examination will included Timed Up and Go Test (TUG), Walking speed, Wong-Baker FACES Pain Scale, Pediatric balance scale and CHAQ (Childhood Health Assessment Questionnaire).

Dynamic Gait Index

Intervention Type OTHER

The DGI, whose validity and reliability will be investigated, consists of 8 items: walking on level ground, walking with changing speed, walking with sideways head turns, walking with vertical head turns, walking with pivot turns, walking over obstacles, going around obstacles, and climbing stairs. Performance on each item is rated on a 4-point scale ranging from 0 (severe impairment) to 3 (normal walking ability without a walking aid). The total score is 24. Scores below 19 indicate a risk of falling, while scores above 22 define safe ambulation.

Healthy control group

This group will be created with age matched healthy volunteers.

Dynamic Gait Index

Intervention Type OTHER

The DGI, whose validity and reliability will be investigated, consists of 8 items: walking on level ground, walking with changing speed, walking with sideways head turns, walking with vertical head turns, walking with pivot turns, walking over obstacles, going around obstacles, and climbing stairs. Performance on each item is rated on a 4-point scale ranging from 0 (severe impairment) to 3 (normal walking ability without a walking aid). The total score is 24. Scores below 19 indicate a risk of falling, while scores above 22 define safe ambulation.

Interventions

Learn about the drugs, procedures, or behavioral strategies being tested and how they are applied within this trial.

Physical examination

The physical examination will included Timed Up and Go Test (TUG), Walking speed, Wong-Baker FACES Pain Scale, Pediatric balance scale and CHAQ (Childhood Health Assessment Questionnaire).

Intervention Type OTHER

Dynamic Gait Index

The DGI, whose validity and reliability will be investigated, consists of 8 items: walking on level ground, walking with changing speed, walking with sideways head turns, walking with vertical head turns, walking with pivot turns, walking over obstacles, going around obstacles, and climbing stairs. Performance on each item is rated on a 4-point scale ranging from 0 (severe impairment) to 3 (normal walking ability without a walking aid). The total score is 24. Scores below 19 indicate a risk of falling, while scores above 22 define safe ambulation.

Intervention Type OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

Check the participation requirements, including inclusion and exclusion rules, age limits, and whether healthy volunteers are accepted.

Inclusion Criteria

* Study Group;
* Having a JIA diagnosis according to ILAR criteria between the ages of 8-16,
* Having unilateral knee joint involvement that will affect walking
* Being compatible, volunteer and cooperative in the study Control Group;

1. Not having any neurological or orthopedic diagnosis
2. Being between the ages of 8-16
3. Being at a mental level that can understand the commands of the person performing the evaluation

Exclusion Criteria

* Study Group;
* Having an additional neurological or orthopedic diagnosis accompanying JIA and affecting treatment results,
* Having lower extremity asymmetry or active lower extremity involvement other than the knee joint that will affect walking.

Control Group;

-Having any health problem that may affect the study
Minimum Eligible Age

8 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

16 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sponsors

Meet the organizations funding or collaborating on the study and learn about their roles.

Medipol University

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

Istanbul Medeniyet University

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

Istanbul University - Cerrahpasa

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

Identify the individual or organization who holds primary responsibility for the study information submitted to regulators.

Gokce Leblebici

Assistant Professor

Responsibility Role PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Locations

Explore where the study is taking place and check the recruitment status at each participating site.

Istanbul University-Cerrahpasa

Istanbul, Turkey, Turkey (Türkiye)

Site Status RECRUITING

Countries

Review the countries where the study has at least one active or historical site.

Turkey (Türkiye)

Central Contacts

Reach out to these primary contacts for questions about participation or study logistics.

Gökçe Leblebici, PhD

Role: CONTACT

+905397395718

Facility Contacts

Find local site contact details for specific facilities participating in the trial.

Gökçe Leblebici, Phd

Role: primary

05397395718

References

Explore related publications, articles, or registry entries linked to this study.

Ravelli A, Martini A. Juvenile idiopathic arthritis. Lancet. 2007 Mar 3;369(9563):767-778. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(07)60363-8.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 17336654 (View on PubMed)

Martini A, Lovell DJ, Albani S, Brunner HI, Hyrich KL, Thompson SD, Ruperto N. Juvenile idiopathic arthritis. Nat Rev Dis Primers. 2022 Jan 27;8(1):5. doi: 10.1038/s41572-021-00332-8.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 35087087 (View on PubMed)

Ozdogan H, Ruperto N, Kasapcopur O, Bakkaloglu A, Arisoy N, Ozen S, Ugurlu U, Unsal E, Melikoglu M; Paediatric Rheumatology International Trials Organisation. The Turkish version of the Childhood Health Assessment Questionnaire (CHAQ) and the Child Health Questionnaire (CHQ). Clin Exp Rheumatol. 2001 Jul-Aug;19(4 Suppl 23):S158-62.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 11510322 (View on PubMed)

Franjoine MR, Gunther JS, Taylor MJ. Pediatric balance scale: a modified version of the berg balance scale for the school-age child with mild to moderate motor impairment. Pediatr Phys Ther. 2003 Summer;15(2):114-28. doi: 10.1097/01.PEP.0000068117.48023.18.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 17057441 (View on PubMed)

Balsalobre-Fernandez C, Tejero-Gonzalez CM, del Campo-Vecino J, Bavaresco N. The concurrent validity and reliability of a low-cost, high-speed camera-based method for measuring the flight time of vertical jumps. J Strength Cond Res. 2014 Feb;28(2):528-33. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0b013e318299a52e.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 23689339 (View on PubMed)

Garra G, Singer AJ, Taira BR, Chohan J, Cardoz H, Chisena E, Thode HC Jr. Validation of the Wong-Baker FACES Pain Rating Scale in pediatric emergency department patients. Acad Emerg Med. 2010 Jan;17(1):50-4. doi: 10.1111/j.1553-2712.2009.00620.x. Epub 2009 Dec 9.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 20003121 (View on PubMed)

Williams EN, Carroll SG, Reddihough DS, Phillips BA, Galea MP. Investigation of the timed 'up & go' test in children. Dev Med Child Neurol. 2005 Aug;47(8):518-24. doi: 10.1017/s0012162205001027.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 16108451 (View on PubMed)

Lubetzky-Vilnai A, Jirikowic TL, McCoy SW. Investigation of the Dynamic Gait Index in children: a pilot study. Pediatr Phys Ther. 2011 Fall;23(3):268-73. doi: 10.1097/PEP.0b013e318227cd82.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 21829122 (View on PubMed)

Shumway-Cook A, Baldwin M, Polissar NL, Gruber W. Predicting the probability for falls in community-dwelling older adults. Phys Ther. 1997 Aug;77(8):812-9. doi: 10.1093/ptj/77.8.812.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 9256869 (View on PubMed)

Jonsdottir J, Cattaneo D. Reliability and validity of the dynamic gait index in persons with chronic stroke. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2007 Nov;88(11):1410-5. doi: 10.1016/j.apmr.2007.08.109.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 17964880 (View on PubMed)

Hall CD, Herdman SJ. Reliability of clinical measures used to assess patients with peripheral vestibular disorders. J Neurol Phys Ther. 2006 Jun;30(2):74-81. doi: 10.1097/01.npt.0000282571.55673.ed.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 16796772 (View on PubMed)

Chiu YP, Fritz SL, Light KE, Velozo CA. Use of item response analysis to investigate measurement properties and clinical validity of data for the dynamic gait index. Phys Ther. 2006 Jun;86(6):778-87.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 16737403 (View on PubMed)

Herman T, Inbar-Borovsky N, Brozgol M, Giladi N, Hausdorff JM. The Dynamic Gait Index in healthy older adults: the role of stair climbing, fear of falling and gender. Gait Posture. 2009 Feb;29(2):237-41. doi: 10.1016/j.gaitpost.2008.08.013. Epub 2008 Oct 8.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 18845439 (View on PubMed)

Martini A. Systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis. Autoimmun Rev. 2012 Nov;12(1):56-9. doi: 10.1016/j.autrev.2012.07.022. Epub 2012 Aug 2.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 22884552 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

Review additional registry numbers or institutional identifiers associated with this trial.

dyi_jia

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

More Related Trials

Additional clinical trials that may be relevant based on similarity analysis.