Future research priorities for soft-tissue knee injuries.

Aims: To identify unanswered questions about the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation and delivery of care of first-time soft-tissue knee injuries (ligament injuries, patella dislocations, meniscal injuries, and articular cartilage) in children (aged 12 years and older) and adults. Methods: The James Lind Alliance (JLA) methodology for Priority Setting Partnerships was followed. An initial survey invited patients and healthcare professionals from the UK to submit any uncertainties regarding soft-tissue knee injury prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation and delivery of care. Over 1,000 questions were received. From these, 74 questions (identifying common concerns) were formulated and checked against the best available evidence. An interim survey was then conducted and 27 questions were taken forward to the final workshop, held in January 2023, where they were discussed, ranked, and scored in multiple rounds of prioritization. This was conducted by healthcare professionals, patients, and carers. Results: The top ten included questions regarding prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation. The number one question was, 'How urgently do soft-tissue knee injuries need to be treated for the best outcome?'. This reflects the concerns of patients, carers, and the wider multidisciplinary team. Conclusion: This validated process has generated ten important priorities for future soft-tissue knee injury research. These have been submitted to the National Institute for Health and Care Research. All 27 questions in the final workshop have been published on the JLA website.

The AERO study: A feasibility randomised controlled trial of individually tailored exercise adherence strategies based on a brief behavioural assessment for older people with musculoskeletal conditions.

INTRODUCTION: Exercise is a widely used treatment modality for older people with musculoskeletal conditions. The effectiveness of exercise programmes is limited by adherence. The aims of this study were to examine the acceptability and feasibility of the AERO intervention in facilitating exercise adherence in older people with musculoskeletal conditions, and to inform the design of a future randomised controlled trial. METHODS: A two arm feasibility randomised controlled trial with an embedded qualitative study conducted at one orthopaedic hospital in the South of England. Older adults referred to physiotherapy with musculoskeletal conditions were randomised to receive either usual care consisting of standard physiotherapy only, or the AERO intervention, consisting of usual care with the addition of tailored exercise adherence approaches based on a brief behavioural assessment. Feasibility outcomes included recruitment, randomisation, retention, acceptability, and fidelity to trial protocol. Secondary outcomes included exercise adherence, physical activity, and behavioural regulation. RESULTS: 48 participants were recruited to the study with 27 randomised to usual care and 21 to AERO and usual care. On the basis of recruitment, retention, the acceptability to participants and physiotherapists and fidelity, the AERO intervention was determined to be feasible. CONCLUSION: The AERO intervention in which participants received tailored adherence strategies based on a behavioural assessment plus standard physiotherapy is feasible and acceptable. It is now ready to be tested in an adequately powered randomised controlled trial. CONTRIBUTION OF THE PAPER: CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: This study was registered at clinicaltrials.gov REF: NCT03643432.

Physiotherapy exercise rehabilitation with tailored exercise adherence support for people with osteoporosis and vertebral fractures: protocol for a randomised controlled trial - the OsteoPorosis Tailored exercise adherence INtervention (OPTIN) study.

INTRODUCTION: Vertebral fragility fractures affect at least 20% of the older population in the UK. Best practice guidelines recommend the use of exercise to slow the rate of bone loss, to maintain muscle strength and physical function, and to prevent falls and further fractures. However, treatment effects are often small and difficult to sustain and adherence, or the extent to which patients engage in treatment, has been identified as an important issue by many studies. Our hypothesis is that integrating adherence intervention strategies with an exercise intervention will be beneficial. We will compare physiotherapy exercise rehabilitation with adherence support versus physiotherapy exercise rehabilitation alone in terms of effects on (A) physical function, quality of life and fear of falling and (B) exercise self-efficacy and adherence. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: A multicentre, two-arm, parallel group, superiority randomised controlled trial with blinded assessments at baseline (0) and 4, 8 and 12 months, with a nested qualitative study and health economic analysis. 116 participants will be allocated to either (1) outpatient physiotherapy which will include a musculoskeletal assessment and treatment including balance, posture, strength training and low impact weight-bearing exercises over 16 weeks or (2) OsteoPorosis Tailored exercise adherence INtervention intervention. This includes standard physiotherapy as above plus an additional, integrated assessment interview (30 min) and 60 min of adherence support spread over the subsequent 16 weeks. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The study protocol was approved by West of Scotland Research Ethics Committee 4 (21/WS/0071). Trial registration number ISRCTN 14465704. The paper is based on Protocol V.4. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ISRCTN 14465704.

Physiotherapists' perceptions of how patient adherence and non-adherence to recommended exercise for musculoskeletal conditions affects their practice: a qualitative study.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to explore physiotherapists' perceptions of how patients' adherence and non-adherence to recommended exercise affects their practice. DESIGN: A qualitative study with a focus group and semi-structured interviews. The focus group and interviews were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. Transcripts were analysed using thematic analysis. SETTING: MSK physiotherapy services in the United Kingdom. PARTICIPANTS: Focus group: 8 UK registered physiotherapists (age range=24-48; seven female, one male). Semi-structured interviews: 10 UK registered physiotherapists (age range=28-52; eight female, two male). RESULTS: Participants described how exercise adherence could be a challenging aspect of clinical practice and how they tried to improve it. Four main themes were identified: 1) A challenge but worth it; 2) It's frustrating but you can't win them all; 3) Striving to see the individual; and 4) Striving to help the patient. The importance of establishing a good working relationship with patients was emphasised. This included working collaboratively with the patient, avoiding blaming them for non-adherence and thinking about the language they used in discussing exercises. CONCLUSION: Patient non-adherence to recommended exercise is a challenging aspect of clinical practice. Physiotherapists can acknowledge this difficulty, and the frustrations it may potentially bring, yet remain resilient in the face of it. Clinicians should consider potential approaches and strategies to optimise the potential for behaviour change, and to improve exercise adherence. Robust interventions to help clinicians facilitate better exercise adherence are also needed.

Home-based rehabilitation programme compared with traditional physiotherapy for patients at risk of poor outcome after knee arthroplasty: the CORKA randomised controlled trial.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate whether a home-based rehabilitation programme for people assessed as being at risk of a poor outcome after knee arthroplasty offers superior outcomes to traditional outpatient physiotherapy. DESIGN: A prospective, single-blind, two-arm randomised controlled superiority trial. SETTING: 14 National Health Service physiotherapy departments in the UK. PARTICIPANTS: 621 participants identified at high risk of a poor outcome after knee arthroplasty using a bespoke screening tool. INTERVENTIONS: A multicomponent home-based rehabilitation programme delivered by rehabilitation assistants with supervision from qualified therapists versus usual care outpatient physiotherapy. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome was the Late-Life Function and Disability Instrument (LLFDI) at 12 months. Secondary outcomes were the Oxford Knee Score (a disease-specific measure of function), Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score Quality of Life subscale, Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly, 5 dimension, 5 level version of Euroqol (EQ-5D-5L) and physical function assessed using the Figure of 8 Walk test, 30 s Chair Stand Test and Single Leg Stance. RESULTS: 621 participants were randomised between March 2015 and January 2018. 309 were assigned to CORKA (Community Rehabilitation after Knee Arthroplasty) home-based rehabilitation, receiving a median five treatment sessions (IQR 4-7). 312 were assigned to usual care, receiving a median 4 sessions (IQR 2-6). The primary outcome, LLFDI function total score at 12 months, was collected for 279 participants (89%) in the home-based CORKA group and 287 participants (92%) in the usual care group. No clinically or statistically significant difference was found between the groups (intention-to-treat adjusted difference=0.49 points; 95% CI -0.89 to 1.88; p=0.48). There were no statistically significant differences between the groups on any of the patient-reported or physical secondary outcome measures at 6 or 12 months.There were 18 participants in the intervention group reporting a serious adverse event (5.8%), only one directly related to the intervention, all other adverse events recorded throughout the trial related to underlying chronic medical conditions. CONCLUSIONS: The CORKA intervention was not superior to usual care. The trial detected no significant differences, clinical or statistical, between the two groups on either primary or secondary outcomes. CORKA offers an evaluation of an intervention utilising a different service delivery model for this patient group. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ISRCTN13517704.

Physical activity levels in men with Haemophilia-A single centre UK survey.

INTRODUCTION: Historically persons with haemophilia (PWH) were not encouraged to participate in exercise due to the risk of bleeding and the lack of factor products available. This has now changed, and the availability of safe products allows PWH to be active and participate in sports. Studies have found that exercise has a positive effect on pain, joint health and movement with PWH. AIM: To record the amount and types of physical activity undertaken by a haemophilia population at a single treatment centre. METHODS: An observational cross-sectional study to assess physical activity and quality of life of all registered patients over the age of 18 at the Oxford Haemophilia and Thrombosis Centre. Participants were posted questionnaires including the International Physical activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), Haemophilia Activity List (HAL), EQ-5D-5L and asked to list their physical activities. RESULTS: A total of 256 questionnaires were sent, with a 40% response rate for severe and 28% for mild patients. 85% met the UK physical activity guidelines. Sedentary behaviour for an average weekday was 6.4 hours, and weekends were 5.3 hours. Joint disease and severity type influenced the amount of activity undertaken, together with values for HAL and EQ-5D-5L. Twenty two types of activities were listed. CONCLUSION: It is encouraging to see the amount of physical activity PWH participate in, however, time spent in a sedentary state needs monitoring. PWH want to be active and the challenge for caregivers is to find activities they can do and strategies to maintain participation.

Do I really want to be going on a bloody diet? Gendered narratives in older men with painful knee osteoarthritis.

PURPOSE: Small reductions in body weight can decrease osteoarthritic knee pain. Intuitively this should provide a strong incentive for weight-loss. However many people undergoing knee joint replacement (KJR) are categorised as obese. Gender theories can help us to understand differential responses to illness and therefore make an important contribution to rehabilitation. We aimed to explore barriers to weight loss in a group of older men with osteoarthritis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted 12 in-depth interviews, before and 1 year after surgery, with six obese men listed for KJR. Analysis was influenced by constructivist grounded theory. We abstracted conceptual themes from the data through constant comparison. RESULTS: We identified the following themes: (1) I am big and healthy and don't need to lose weight; (2) being this size isn't good for me; (3) men don't have to worry about that sort of thing; (4) I am not as active as I used to be; (5) I have worked hard all my life; (6) what is the point in trying anyway? CONCLUSIONS: Gendered narratives can make it challenging for men to lose weight. Healthcare professionals cannot ignore the influence of gender on rehabilitation and should consider gender specific strategies. Implications for rehabilitation Men may not associate being overweight with being unhealthy. Men may take pride in being in good shape and may respond better to weight loss strategies that focus on fitness not body size. Men may link weight gain with decrease in activity levels rather than overeating. Health care professionals should challenge the assumption that weight loss will follow surgery. Health care professionals cannot ignore the influence of gender on the success of rehabilitation.

What interventions are used to improve exercise adherence in older people and what behavioural techniques are they based on? A systematic review.

OBJECTIVES: To conduct a systematic review of interventions used to improve exercise adherence in older people, to assess the effectiveness of these interventions and to evaluate the behavioural change techniques underpinning them using the Behaviour Change Technique Taxonomy (BCTT). DESIGN: Systematic review. METHODS: A search was conducted on AMED, BNI, CINAHL, EMBASE, MEDLINE and PsychINFO databases. Randomised controlled trials that used an intervention to aid exercise adherence and an exercise adherence outcome for older people were included. Data were extracted with the use of a preprepared standardised form. Risk of bias was assessed with the Cochrane Collaboration's tool for assessing risk of bias. Interventions were classified according to the BCTT. RESULTS: Eleven studies were included in the review. Risk of bias was moderate to high. Interventions were classified into the following categories: comparison of behaviour, feedback and monitoring, social support, natural consequences, identity and goals and planning. Four studies reported a positive adherence outcome following their intervention. Three of these interventions were categorised in the feedback and monitoring category. Four studies used behavioural approaches within their study. These were social learning theory, socioemotional selectivity theory, cognitive behavioural therapy and self-efficacy. Seven studies did not report a behavioural approach. CONCLUSIONS: Interventions in the feedback and monitoring category showed positive outcomes, although there is insufficient evidence to recommend their use currently. There is need for better reporting, use and the development of theoretically derived interventions in the field of exercise adherence for older people. Robust measures of adherence, in order to adequately test these interventions would also be of use. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42015020884.