Physical Therapy Versus Internet-Based Exercise Training for Patients With Knee Osteoarthritis (PATH-IN)

University of North Carolina (UNC)

Status: Completed

Conditions: Knee Osteoarthritis

Treatments: Behavioral: Internet Based Exercise Training; Behavioral: Physical Therapy

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT02312713

14-1331

Details and patient eligibility

About

The purpose of this study is to examine the effectiveness of standard physical therapy and an internet-based exercise program for people with knee osteoarthritis (OA). Both of these programs will be compared to a "waiting list" control group. The investigators hypothesize that both treatments will result in greater improvement than the control condition and that the treatments will be similarly effective. The investigators also expect that some patients may do better with one treatment type or another and will explore this.

Enrollment: 350 patients

Sex: All

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Knee Osteoarthritis

Exclusion criteria

• no internet access
• rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, or any other rheumatic condition
• severe fibromyalgia
• gout in your knees
• on a waiting list for joint replacement surgery, or are you planning to have joint replacement surgery during the next year
• total knee replacement surgery, other knee surgery, a torn meniscus in your knee, or a torn ACL in your knee during the past 6 months
• hospitalized for a stroke, heart attack, heart failure, or had surgery for blocked arteries in the past 3 months
• currently undergoing physical therapy for knee OA
• meeting current recommendations for physical activity levels
• participating in another interventional study related to knee osteoarthritis or a study that involves physical activity

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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350 participants in 3 patient groups

Standard Physical Therapy

Active Comparator group

Description:

Participants assigned to the PT arm will receive 3-8 individual visits with a physical therapist. The content of these visits will be "semi-standardized," meaning that they will include some common core components (e.g., evaluation, prescription of home exercise program), but the therapists will have flexibility in terms of how many visits are appropriate and the details of the visit content.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Physical Therapy

Internet Based Exercise Training

Experimental group

Description:

Participants assigned to the internet-based exercise training arm will be given access to a program that aims to tailor exercises based on individuals' functional levels. The program assigns specific exercises, progresses these exercises as appropriate over time, and shows individual video clips to demonstrate appropriate performance of exercises.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Internet Based Exercise Training

Wait list control

No Intervention group

Description:

no intervention