Why does Good Living with Arthritis Denmark ( GLA:D®) work? A pilot study investigating the link between biomechanical factors and a successful outcome following a movement retraining program for knee osteoarthritis.

Changes in knee joint loads (KAM, KAM impulse and KFM) following an 8 week education and exercise program (composite measure) Procedure for measurement of joint reaction forces and joint moments will be conducted in the biomechanics lab at University of Canberra using VICON system, three AMTI force plate and 12 infrared VICON MX-40 cameras operating at 200HZ. 11. Data extraction and normalising will be performed using TempNormGUI, a custom written software script for MATLAB (MathWorks, USA). 3D joint moments will be calculated using inverse dynamics.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of a combined exercise and education intervention on biomechanics in those with knee osteoarthritis. We currently do not understand the reasons why people may improve with exercise interventions. This exploratory study will examine changes in muscle activation patterns and joint load following the GLA:D® program and see if this is related to improvements in pain or function or influences a person’s willingness to undertake surgery. GLA:D® (Good Living Arthritis Denmark) is a program for hip and knee osteoarthritis consisting of 2 education sessions and 12 physiotherapy delivered group exercise classes delivered twice weekly over 6-8 weeks. Biomechanical measurements such as knee joint loads (knee adduction moment and knee flexion moment) and muscle activation patterns (timings and co-contractions) will be measured at baseline and immediately following the GLA:D® program at 8 weeks. The relationship between biomechanical changes following the program and changes in pain and function or a person's willingness to undertake joint replacement surgery will be evaluated.