Exploration of Gait Biomechanics and Pain

Kristian Kjær Petersen

Status: Completed

Conditions: Healthy; Pain

Treatments: Other: Hypertonic saline injection; Other: Isotonic saline injection

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT06330402

N-20220063

Details and patient eligibility

About

This interventional study aims to test gait biomechanics in healthy individuals with and without experimental knee pain. The main questions it aims to answer are:

• How do gait patterns change during painful walking?
• Can pain sensitivity testing and gait biomechanics predict experimental knee pain intensity?

Participants will receive two knee injections: a) Hypertonic saline (painful condition) and b) Isotonic saline (control condition).

Full description

This study will be a randomized, crossover design where experimental knee pain will be provoked in healthy subjects using hypertonic saline injections to the infrapatellar fat pad (IFP). This will be controlled with a second injection of isotonic saline, which is non-painful. The participants will not be informed of the type of injection.

Hypertonic saline injections to the IFP usually provoke pain lasting about 15 minutes. Within this timeframe, motion capture will be conducted to estimate the biomechanics of gait. During the motion capture the participants will perform five 10-meter walking trials and three jumps. This process will be replicated for the control condition.

Additionally, the participants will have their pain sensitivity tested using cuff-pressure algometry before both IFP injections.

Enrollment: 34 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 45 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Healthy men and women aged 18-45 years

Exclusion criteria

• Pregnancy
• Drug addiction, defined as the use of cannabis, opioids, or other drugs
• Previous or current neurologic or musculoskeletal illnesses
• Current pain
• Lack of ability to cooperate

Trial design

Primary purpose: Basic Science

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Crossover Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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34 participants in 2 patient groups, including a placebo group

Painful condition

Experimental group

Description:

Hypertonic saline injection to the infrapatellar fat pad.

Treatment:

Other: Hypertonic saline injection

Control condition

Placebo Comparator group

Description:

Isotonic saline injection to the infrapatellar fat pad.

Treatment:

Other: Isotonic saline injection