Anders Holsgaard-Larsen

Postoperative effects of neuromuscular exercise prior to hip or knee arthroplasty: a randomised controlled trial

Objective To investigate the postoperative efficacy of a supervised programme of neuromuscular exercise prior to hip or knee arthroplasty. Methods In this assessor-blinded randomised controlled trial, we included 165 patients scheduled for hip or knee arthroplasty due to severe osteoarthritis (OA). An 8-week preoperative neuromuscular supervised exercise programme was delivered twice a week for 1 h as adjunct treatment to the standard arthroplasty procedure and compared with the standard arthroplasty procedure alone. The primary outcome was self-reported physical function measured on the activities of daily living (ADL) subscale in the Hip disability and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (HOOS) and the Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) questionnaires for patients with hip and knee OA, respectively. Primary endpoint was 3 months after surgery. Results 165 patients randomised to the two groups were on average 67±8 years, 84 (51%) had hip OA and 92 (56%) were women. 153 patients (93%) underwent planned surgery and were evaluated postoperatively. There was no statistically significant difference in effects between hip or knee patients (p=0.7370). Three months postoperatively, no difference was found between groups for ADL (4.4, 95% CI −0.8 to 9.5) or pain (4.5, 95% CI −0.8 to 9.9). However, there was a statistically significant difference indicating an effect of exercise over the entire period (baseline to 3-months postoperatively) (p=0.0029). Conclusions Eight weeks of supervised neuromuscular exercise prior to total joint arthroplasty (TJA) of the hip or knee did not confer additional benefits 3 months postoperatively compared with TJA alone. However, the intervention group experienced a statistically significant short-term benefit in ADL and pain, suggesting an earlier onset of postoperative recovery. Trial registration ClinicalTrials NCT01003756.

Immediate Efficacy of Neuromuscular Exercise in Patients with Severe Osteoarthritis of the Hip or Knee: A Secondary Analysis from a Randomized Controlled Trial

Objective. Knowledge about the effects of exercise in severe and endstage osteoarthritis (OA) is limited. The aim was to evaluate the efficacy of a neuromuscular exercise program in patients with clinically severe hip or knee OA. Methods. This was a randomized controlled assessor-blinded trial. Patients received an educational package (care-as-usual) only, or care-as-usual plus an 8-week neuromuscular exercise intervention (NEMEX-TJR). NEMEX-TJR was supervised by a physiotherapist, twice weekly for 1 h. The primary outcome was Activities of Daily Living (ADL) subscale from the Hip disability and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (HOOS) and the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) questionnaire. The secondary outcomes were the HOOS/KOOS subscales Pain, Symptoms, Sport and Recreation, and Joint-related Quality of Life. Exploratory outcomes were functional performance measures and lower limb muscle power. Results. Included were 165 patients, 56% female, average age 67 years (SD ± 8), and a body mass index of 30 (SD ± 5), who were scheduled for primary hip or knee replacement. The postintervention difference between mean changes in ADL was 7.2 points (95% CI 3.5 to 10.9, p = 0.0002) in favor of NEMEX-TJR compared with control. Second, there were statistically significant differences between groups in favor of NEMEX-TJR on all self-reported outcomes and most functional performance tests (walk, chair stands, and 1-leg knee bends). Stratified analyses according to joint revealed moderate effect size for ADL for hip patients (0.63, 95% CI 0.26 to 1.00). Corresponding effect size for knee patients was small (0.23 95% CI −0.14 to 0.60). Conclusion. Feasibility of neuromuscular exercise was confirmed in patients about to have total joint replacement. Self-reported activities of daily living and objective performance were improved and pain reduced immediately following 8 weeks of neuromuscular exercise. While the effects were moderate in hip OA, they were only small in knee OA. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01003756.

Agreement and reliability of functional performance and muscle power in patients with advanced osteoarthritis of the hip or knee.

ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to test the reproducibility and clinical feasibility of three functional performance measures and five single-joint or multijoint muscle power measures. DesignTwenty patients with a mean age of 68.7 ± 7.2 yrs with severe hip or knee osteoarthritis were assessed for test-retest reliability and agreement on two occasions 1 wk apart. The outcomes were maximal single-joint muscle power (hip extension/abduction and knee extension/flexion), maximal muscle power during multijoint leg extension press, and functional performance measures (20-m walk, five-time repeated chair stands, and repeated unilateral knee bending). ResultsFor single-joint and multijoint maximal peak power and functional performance measures, we demonstrated poor (CVws, approximately 25%, single-joint hip extension) and moderate (CVws, approximately 15%, multijoint leg extension press, single-joint knee extension, chair stands, and knee bending) to good (CVws, <10%, single-joint knee flexion, single-joint hip abduction, and 20-m walk) agreement and good (intraclass correlation coefficient, 0.61–0.80, single-joint hip extension, multijoint leg extension press, and knee bending) to excellent (intraclass correlation coefficient, >0.81, single-joint knee extension, knee flexion, hip abduction, 20-m walk, and chair stands) reliability. ConclusionsIsolated muscle power over the hip and knee can safely be evaluated with poor to good agreement and good to excellent reliability in patients with advanced hip or knee osteoarthritis. Functional performance and muscle power may be assessed concurrently.

Concurrent assessments of lower limb loading patterns, mechanical muscle strength and functional performance in ACL-patients — A cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND Full recovery in muscle strength and functional performance may not be achieved after ACL-injury. AIM The aim of this study is to investigate loading patterns during jumping, muscle function and functional performance in ACL-reconstructed patients and to investigate the origin of between-limb asymmetry by means of a 3-dimensional movement analysis. Design is cross-sectional. METHODS 23 ACL-reconstructed men (27.2±7.5 years, BMI: 25.4±3.2) 27±7 month post-surgery and 25 matched controls (27.2±5.4 years, BMI: 24.1±1.8) were included. Participants performed (i) bilateral and (ii) unilateral counter movement jumps (CMJ). A 3-D movement analysis was performed by a six-camera Vicon MX-system. Subsequently, jump height (JH), knee joint range of motion (ROM), peak and mean sagittal knee moments were analyzed (iii) one-leg maximal jump for distance was performed, and (iv) maximal unilateral isometric knee extensor and flexor strength (MVC) were measured using stabilized dynamometry. RESULTS No in-between group differences in age or BMI were observed. CMJ: Between-limb asymmetry ratios for ROM differed (p<0.01) between patients and controls in both types of CMJ (96.1% vs. 102.6% and 87.0% vs. 99.9% in bilateral and single-leg CMJs, respectively). Jump for distance: Patients demonstrated greater (p<0.01) asymmetry for jump length (92.9% vs. 98.6%). MVC: Asymmetry in hamstring MVC was greater (p<0.001) for patients than controls (77.4% vs. 101.3%). CONCLUSIONS ACL-patients showed reduced function of the operated leg~2 years post ACL-reconstruction, especially for hamstring MVC. Hamstrings are important protagonists to the ACL, thus representing a potential risk factor for secondary ACL-rupture and/or osteoarthritis.

Gait Deviation Index, Gait Profile Score and Gait Variable Score in children with spastic cerebral palsy: Intra-rater reliability and agreement across two repeated sessions

The Gait Deviation Index (GDI) and Gait Profile Score (GPS) are the most used summary measures of gait in children with cerebral palsy (CP). However, the reliability and agreement of these indices have not been investigated, limiting their clinimetric quality for research and clinical practice. The aim of this study was to investigate the intra-rater reliability and agreement of summary measures of gait (GDI; GPS; and the Gait Variable Score (GVS) derived from the GPS). The intra-rater reliability and agreement were investigated across two repeated sessions in 18 children aged 5-12 years diagnosed with spastic CP. No systematic bias was observed between the sessions and no heteroscedasticity was observed in Bland-Altman plots. For the GDI and GPS, excellent reliability with intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) values of 0.8-0.9 was found, while the GVS was found to have fair to good reliability with ICCs of 0.4-0.7. The agreement for the GDI and the logarithmically transformed GPS, in terms of the standard error of measurement as a percentage of the grand mean (SEM%) varied from 4.1 to 6.7%, whilst the smallest detectable change in percent (SDC%) ranged from 11.3 to 18.5%. For the logarithmically transformed GVS, we found a fair to large variation in SEM% from 7 to 29% and in SDC% from 18 to 81%. The GDI and GPS demonstrated excellent reliability and acceptable agreement proving that they can both be used in research and clinical practice. However, the observed large variability for some of the GVS requires cautious consideration when selecting outcome measures.

Forward lunge knee biomechanics before and after partial meniscectomy

BACKGROUND Patients following meniscectomy are at increased risk of developing knee osteoarthritis in the tibiofemoral compartment and at the patellofemoral joint. As osteoarthritis is widely considered a mechanical disease, it is important to understand the potential effect of arthroscopic partial meniscectomy (APM) on knee joint mechanics. The purpose of this study was to evaluate changes in knee joint biomechanics during a forward lunge in patients with a suspected degenerative meniscal tear from before to three months after APM. METHODS Twenty-two patients (35-55 years old) with a suspected degenerative medial meniscal tear participated in this study. Three dimensional knee biomechanics were assessed on the injured and contralateral leg before and three months after APM. The visual analogue scale was used to assess knee pain and the Knee Injury Osteoarthritis Outcome Score was used to assess sport/recreation function and knee-related confidence before and after APM. RESULTS The external peak knee flexion moment reduced in the APM leg compared to the contralateral leg (mean difference (95% CI)) -1.08 (-1.80 to -0.35) (Nm/(BW × HT)%), p = 0.004. Peak knee flexion angle also reduced in the APM leg compared to the contralateral leg -3.94 (-6.27 to -1.60) degrees, p = 0.001. There was no change in knee pain between the APM leg and contralateral leg (p=0.118). Self-reported sport/recreation function improved (p = 0.004). CONCLUSIONS Although patients self-reported less difficulty during strenuous tasks following APM, patients used less knee flexion, a strategy that may limit excessive patellar loads during forward lunge in the recently operated leg.

Skeletal muscle contractility, self-reported pain and tissue sensitivity in females with neck/shoulder pain and upper Trapezius myofascial trigger points– a randomized intervention study

BackgroundIn relation to Myofascial Triggerpoints (MFTrPs) of the upper Trapezius, this study explored muscle contractility characteristics, the occurrence of post-intervention muscle soreness and the effect of dry needling on muscle contractile characteristics and clinical outcomes.MethodsSeventy-seven female office workers (25-46yrs) with and without neck/shoulder pain were observed with respect to self-reported pain (NRS-101), pressure-pain threshold (PPT), maximum voluntary contraction (Fmax) and rate of force development (RFD) at baseline (pre-intervention), immediately post-intervention and 48 hours post-intervention. Symptomatic and asymptomatic participant groups were each randomized into two treatment sub-groups (superficial (SDN) and deep dry needling (DDN)) after baseline testing. At 48 hours post-intervention participants were asked whether delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) and/or post-needling soreness had developed.ResultsMuscle contractile characteristics did not differ between groups at baseline. Forty-six individuals developed muscle soreness (39 from mechanical testing and seven from needling). No inter-group differences were observed post-intervention for Fmax or RFD for the four sub-groups. Over the observation period, symptomatic participants reported less pain from both SDN (p= 0.003) and DDN (p=0.011). However, PPT levels were reduced for all participants (p=0.029). Those reporting DOMS experienced significant decreases in PPT, irrespective of symptom state or intervention (p=0.001).ConclusionsIn selected female neck/shoulder pain sufferers, maximum voluntary contraction and rapid force generation of the upper Trapezius was not influenced by clinically relevant self-reported pain or the presence of diagnostically relevant MFTrPs. Dry needling, deep or superficial, did not affect measured functional outcomes over the 48-hour observation period. DOMS affected participants uniformly irrespective of pain, MFTrP status or intervention type and therefore is like to act as a modifier.Trial registrationClinical Trials.gov- NCT01710735Significance and InnovationsThe present investigation is one of the first to examine the hypothesis of gross muscle contractile inhibition due to the presence of diagnostically relevant MFTrPs.Individuals suffering from clinically relevant levels of self-reported pain are able to tolerate maximum voluntary contraction testing, but delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) is a likely side-effect irrespective of symptom status. As a consequence, its confounding effect during subsequent testing must be taken into account.

Slide-based ergometer rowing: Effects on force production and neuromuscular activity.

Force production profile and neuromuscular activity during slide‐based and stationary ergometer rowing at standardized submaximal power output were compared in 14 male and 8 female National Team rowers. Surface electromyography (EMG) was obtained in selected thoracic and leg muscles along with synchronous measurement of handle force and rate of force development (RFD). Compared to stationary conditions, slide‐based peak force decreased by 76 (57–95) N (mean 95% CI) in males (P < 0.001) and 20 (8–31) N (P < 0.05) in females. Stroke rate increased (+10.7%) and late‐phase RFD decreased (−20.7%) in males (P < 0.05). Neuromuscular activity in m. vastus lateralis decreased in the initial drive phase from 59% to 51% of EMGmax in males and from 57% to 52% in females (P < 0.01–0.05), while also decreasing in the late recovery phase from 20% to 7% in males and 17% to 7% in females (P < 0.01). Peak force and maximal neuromuscular activity in the shoulder retractors always occurred in the second quartile of the drive phase. In conclusion, peak force and late‐phase RFD (males) decreased and stroke rate increased (males) during slide‐based compared to stationary ergometer rowing, potentially reducing the risk of overuse injury. Neuromuscular activity was more affected in leg muscles than thoracic muscles by slide‐based ergometer rowing.

The Gait Deviation Index Is Associated with Hip Muscle Strength and Patient-Reported Outcome in Patients with Severe Hip Osteoarthritis-A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background The Gait Deviation Index summarizes overall gait ‘quality’, based on kinematic data from a 3-dimensional gait analysis. However, it is unknown which clinical outcomes may affect the Gait Deviation Index in patients with primary hip osteoarthritis. The aim of this study was to investigate associations between Gait Deviation Index as a measure of gait ‘quality’ and hip muscle strength and between Gait Deviation Index and patient-reported outcomes in patients with primary hip osteoarthritis. Method Forty-seven patients (34 males), aged 61.1 ± 6.7 years, with BMI 27.3 ± 3.4 (kg/m2) and with severe primary hip osteoarthritis underwent 3-dimensional gait analysis. Mean Gait Deviation Index, pain after walking and maximal isometric hip muscle strength (flexor, extensor, and abductor) were recorded. All patients completed the ‘Physical Function Short-form of the Hip disability and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (HOOS-Physical Function) and the Hip disability and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score subscales for pain (HOOS-Pain) and quality-of-life (HOOS-QOL). Results Mean Gait Deviation Index was positively associated with hip abduction strength (p<0.01, r = 0.40), hip flexion strength (p = 0.01, r = 0.37), HOOS-Physical Function (p<0.01, r = 0.41) HOOS-QOL (p<0.01, r = 0.41), and negatively associated with HOOS-Pain after walking (p<0.01, r = -0.45). Adjusting the analysis for walking speed did not affect the association. Conclusion Patients with the strongest hip abductor and hip flexor muscles had the best gait ‘quality’. Furthermore, patients with higher physical function, quality of life scores and lower pain levels demonstrated better gait ‘quality’. These findings indicate that interventions aimed at improving hip muscle strength and pain management may to a moderate degree improve the overall gait ‘quality’ in patients with primary hip OA.

Subjective vs objective predictors of functional knee joint performance in anterior cruciate ligament-reconstructed patients—Do we need both?

BACKGROUND Associations between objective and subjective measures of knee function may facilitate rehabilitation in ACL-patients. AIM The aim of this study is to investigate if a test-battery of functional and/or muscle outcomes are associated with Knee osteoarthritis outcome score (KOOS) subscales (Sport/Rec and QOL) in ACL-reconstructed patients. METHODS 23 hamstring auto-graft ACL-reconstructed men (mean age: 27.2 standard deviation 7.5 years, BMI: 25.4 standard deviation 3.2 time since surgery: 27 standard deviation 7 months) completed KOOS-questionnaire and an objective test-battery: (i) one-leg maximal jump for distance (OLJD), isometric maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) for (ii) knee extensors and (iii) flexors, and (iv) maximal counter movement jump (CMJ). Sagittal kinematic data were recorded during CMJ using a 6-camera Vicon MX system. Multilevel linear regression analysis was used to determine the strength of associations between KOOS parameters (Sport/Rec and QOL) that a priori were defined as dependent variables and 4 models of independent outcomes from the test-battery. RESULTS Moderate associations between OLJD and Sport/Rec (r(2)=0.26, p<0.01) and QOL (r(2)=0.26, p<0.01) were observed (Model 1). Adding knee extensor or flexor MVC to the analysis (Model 2) increased the strength of the associations (up to r(2)=0.53, p<0.01, and r(2)=0.31, p=0.02 for Sport/Rec and QOL, respectively). Adding both knee extensor and knee flexor MVC to the analysis (Model 3) did not improve the regression model and only minor increases were observed when including kinematic data of CMJ (Model 4). CONCLUSION Moderate-to-large proportion (31-53%) of the variation in KOOS was explained by OLJD and MVC which may add to design effective future rehabilitation interventions for ACL-patients.