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

NCT ID: NCT07073911

Last Updated: 2025-07-20

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: NOT_YET_RECRUITING
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 42 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2025-08-26
• Study Completion Date: 2026-06-19

Brief Summary

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.

Conditions

Osteo Arthritis Knee and Hip

Study Design

• Allocation Method: NA
• Intervention Model: SINGLE_GROUP
• Primary Study Purpose: TREATMENT
• Blinding Strategy: NONE

Study Groups

Exercise program

Les Mills Thrive is a 45-minute class that consists of flexibility, strength, and coordination exercises designed to be delivered in a group fitness environment. Participants will have the option to attend group fitness classes in person, or do the exercise program at home on their own asynchronously, using recorded classes as guidance.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Exercise

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Les Mills Thrive is a 45-minute class that consists of flexibility, strength, and coordination exercises. This program aims to improve sensorimotor control and strength via functional weight-bearing exercises and floor exercises to isolate targeted hip and core muscles. In each class (whether in person or online), a certified Les Mills Thrive instructor will provide options to either increase or decrease the intensity of each exercise to cater to varying fitness levels and fluctuating symptoms. Each exercise has an assisted (using a chair for balance), body weight, and resisted (weight or exercise tubing) option. Participants will have the option to attend group fitness classes or do the classes asynchronously at home using a link to access a recorded class.

Interventions

Exercise

Les Mills Thrive is a 45-minute class that consists of flexibility, strength, and coordination exercises. This program aims to improve sensorimotor control and strength via functional weight-bearing exercises and floor exercises to isolate targeted hip and core muscles. In each class (whether in person or online), a certified Les Mills Thrive instructor will provide options to either increase or decrease the intensity of each exercise to cater to varying fitness levels and fluctuating symptoms. Each exercise has an assisted (using a chair for balance), body weight, and resisted (weight or exercise tubing) option. Participants will have the option to attend group fitness classes or do the classes asynchronously at home using a link to access a recorded class.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Other Intervention Names

Les Mills Thrive

Eligibility Criteria

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).

• Minimum Eligible Age: 19 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

Les Mills International

UNKNOWN

Sponsor Role: collaborator

Gillian Hatfield

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Gillian Hatfield

Associate Professor

Responsibility Role: SPONSOR_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Gillian Hatfield, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

University of the Fraser Valley

Locations

University of the Fraser Valley

Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada

Countries

Canada

Central Contacts

Gillian Hatfield, PhD

Role: CONTACT

gillian.hatfield@ufv.ca

1 604-504-7441 ext. 2217

Facility Contacts

Gillian Hatfield, PhD

Role: primary

gillian.hatfield@ufv.ca

1 604-504-7441 ext. 2217

Other Identifiers

101801

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id