The Effect of Blood Flow Restriction Training on Muscle Atrophy Following Knee Surgery
- Conditions
- Knee Injuries
- Interventions
- Other: Blood Flow RestrictionOther: Standard rehabilitation
- Registration Number
- NCT03035266
- Lead Sponsor
- Keller Army Community Hospital
- Brief Summary
The investigators will compare differences in quadriceps strength, leg girth, and functional outcome scores between two groups of patients after weeks 6 and 12 as well as 6 months following meniscus or articular cartilage repair/restoration requiring 6 weeks of non-weight bearing or limited weight bearing status in a brace at 0° degrees of knee extension. One group will receive BFR with standard post-operative rehabilitation for 12 weeks followed by the standard protocol progression for the remainder of the treatment program. The other group will receive standard post-operative rehabilitation without BFR for the duration of treatment program.
- Detailed Description
The aim is to compare strength, patient reported outcomes, and functional outcomes of post-operative therapy with and without adjunctive BFR training. To accomplish this task the investigators will compare differences in thigh girth between two groups of patients after the first 6 weeks and 12 weeks as well as 6 months following meniscus or articular cartilage repair requiring 6 weeks of non-weight bearing or limited weight bearing status in a brace at 0˚ degrees of extension. In addition, isokinetic testing of the quadriceps and hamstrings will be performed at 12 weeks and 6 months post-operatively. Lower extremity girth measurements after knee surgery can be performed with good to excellent intra- and inter-rater reliability. Quadriceps strength measured with isokinetic testing is related to performance measures such as jumping. Limb circumference measurement, limb CSA measurement, and isokinetic strength testing are commonly utilized in BFR studies as outcome measures.One group will receive BFR for 12 weeks in addition to standard post-operative rehabilitation and the other group will receive standard post-operative rehabilitation without BFR.
Recruitment & Eligibility
- Status
- COMPLETED
- Sex
- All
- Target Recruitment
- 22
- Military healthcare beneficiaries between the age of 18 and 50 years.
- Must intend to remain on station at location of surgery for 6 months from date of surgery.
- Meniscus repair or cartilage restoration technique to include microfracture, osteochondral autograft transfer system, osteochondral allograft transplantation, and autologous chondrocyte implantation following standard post-operative protocol guidelines requiring a 6 week period of non-weight bearing or limited weight bearing in a brace at 0˚ degrees of extension.
- Concomitant ligamentous repair/reconstruction
- Known pregnancy
- Any medical condition for which aerobic exercise is contraindicated
- Additional back, hip, or knee surgery in the previous 12 months
- History of vascular or cardiac impairment
Study & Design
- Study Type
- INTERVENTIONAL
- Study Design
- PARALLEL
- Arm && Interventions
Group Intervention Description Blood Flow Restriction (BFR) Blood Flow Restriction All subjects will perform traditional post-operative rehabilitation until discharge from the hospital following surgery and continue until formal discharge from physical therapy upon completion of rehabilitation. One week following surgery, subjects randomized to the BFR group will begin combining BFR with all lower extremity strengthening exercises supervised in clinic up to 3 times per week for 12 weeks. Standard rehabilitation (control group) Standard rehabilitation All subjects will perform traditional post-operative rehabilitation until discharge from the hospital following surgery and continue until formal discharge from physical therapy upon completion of rehabilitation.
- Primary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method Peak Torque (foot-pounds), best repetition out of 15 repetitions 12 weeks and 6 months post operative Change in isokinetic peak torque knee extension and knee flexion at 180 degrees/sec and at 300 degrees/second
- Secondary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method Lower Extremity Functional Scale (LEFS) Questionnaire baseline, 6 weeks, 12 weeks, and 6 months Change in LEFS Outcome Measure
Thigh circumference (centimeters) baseline, 6 weeks, 12 weeks, and 6 months Change in girth measurements of thigh:
10 cm from proximal patella 15 cm from proximal patella 33% length from proximal patella to inguinal creaseVisual Analog Scale (VAS), 0 to 40 mm self report pain scale baseline, 6 weeks, 12 weeks, and 6 months Change in VAS for Pain
Trial Locations
- Locations (2)
Keller Army Community Hospital
🇺🇸West Point, New York, United States
Womack Army Medical Center
🇺🇸Fort Bragg, North Carolina, United States