The knee joint consists of three distinct joint compartments – the medial tibiofemoral (or inside), the lateral tibiofemoral (outside) and the patellofemoral (behind the kneecap). Braces or orthoses are devices made from lightweight materials which alter the biomechanics of the lower limb and alter the alignment of a joint. Research has shown that using an appropriate knee brace can reduce pain and improve function in people with osteoarthritis. Dr Howard Hillstrom joins us on this week's episode to discuss how braces can help knee osteoarthritis.Dr Howard Hillstrom has a background as a biomedical engineer with over 26 years of experience in directing motion analysis laboratories. Howard is currently the director of the Motion Analysis Laboratory at Hospital for Special Surgery in New York. Howard has a strong background in the biomechanics of human movement with special attention to the lower extremity and related pathologies, such as osteoarthritis.RESOURCES Journal articlesKnee Osteoarthritis: Primary Care Using Noninvasive Devices and Biomechanical PrinciplesEffects of a Medial Knee Unloading Implant on Tibiofemoral Joint Mechanics During WalkingDevelopment and validation of a computational model of the knee joint for the evaluation of surgical treatments for osteoarthritis. Are joint structure and function related to medial knee OA pain? A pilot study. CONNECT WITH USTwitter: @ProfDavidHunter @jointactionorgEmail: hello@jointaction.infoWebsite: www.jointaction.info/podcastIf you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to subscribe to learn more about osteoarthritis from the world's leading experts! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There are a lot of descriptors used for osteoarthritis pain related to the character of pain, its distribution or location, its severity, its frequency - in particular, whether this is constant or intermittent.New research into these pain patterns has shown that the different pain patterns experienced lead to different clinical outcomes in people with knee OA. If we can identify why some people have more constant or more severe pain, it might provide insights on which to intervene. This promising area of research can help to enhance prognosis and provide targeted treatment.  Lisa is a licensed physiotherapist and an assistant professor in the School of Rehabilitation Science at McMaster University (Ontario, Canada). Her extensive academic background in physical therapy and clinical epidemiology have shaped her research interests in common age-related musculoskeletal problems. Her most recent studies focus on improving treatment and outcomes for people with musculoskeletal disorders, such as knee osteoarthritis and chronic low back pain. Lisa is interested in understanding the mechanisms and consequences of pain as they relate to disability, mobility, participation, and healthy aging.RESOURCESJournal articles·     Association of Intermittent and Constant Knee Pain Patterns With Knee Pain Severity and With Radiographic Knee Osteoarthritis Duration and Severity ·     Association of Pain Sensitization and Conditioned Pain Modulation to Pain Patterns in Knee Osteoarthritis ·     Use of IMMPACT Recommendations to Explore Pain Phenotypes in People with Knee Osteoarthritis CONNECT WITH LISA·     Twitter: @LisaCarlessoCONNECT WITH USTwitter: @ProfDavidHunter @jointactionorgEmail: hello@jointaction.infoWebsite: www.jointaction.info/podcastIf you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to subscribe to learn more about osteoarthritis from the world's leading experts! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Having a chronic physical health condition such as osteoarthritis can have a negative effect on mental health which commonly manifests as depression or anxiety. Epidemiological research has shown that most adults with common mental health conditions do not access psychologically-based treatments. This is due to many reasons including costs, stigma, long waiting lists and availability outside of major cities. Professor Blake Dear joins us to discuss the impact of mental health on the management of osteoarthritis and effective psychological treatments that can help to improve mental health in the long-term. Professor Blake Dear is a Senior Clinical Psychologist within the Department of Psychology at Macquarie University. Blake completed his postgraduate Masters training at the University of Western Sydney in 2006 and later completed his PhD in 2010. Blake is the Director of the eCentreClinic; a research unit that develops and evaluates a range of psychologically-based treatments for common mental health and chronic physical health conditions. He is passionate about increasing access to effective psychological treatment, particularly for adults struggling with chronic physical health conditions. RESOURCES-      eCentreClinic-      Mindspot-      PORTSCONNECT WITH USTwitter: @ProfDavidHunter @jointactionorgEmail: hello@jointaction.infoWebsite: www.jointaction.info/podcastIf you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to subscribe to learn more about osteoarthritis from the world's leading experts! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this week’s episode of Joint Action, Prof Rana Hinman joins us to discuss how shoes or insoles can help with knee OA.People with knee OA may experience abnormal knee joint loading – meaning that certain parts of their knees (for example, the inside or medial compartment) is loaded more, compared to the outside or lateral compartment. Biomechanical research has shown that some shoes can increase medial knee loads more than others and therefore, clinical guidelines commonly recommend “appropriate” footwear for knee OA.  Many types of shoes exist including “stable, supportive shoes”, “flat flexible shoes” and “unloader” shoes. However, it remains unclear what shoes are appropriate for knee OA. Professor Rana Hinman is a research physiotherapist and National Health & Medical Research Council Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Health, Exercise & Sports Medicine at the University of Melbourne. Her research focuses on clinical trials of non-drug non-surgical treatment strategies for osteoarthritis, in particular exercise, rehabilitation, and biomechanical interventions.RESOURCESBetter Health Channel Victoria Choosing the right shoeFootwear for healthy feetJournal articlesThe Effect of Flat Flexible Versus Stable Supportive Shoes on Knee Osteoarthritis Symptoms : A Randomized TrialModerators and mediators of effects of unloading shoes on knee pain in people with knee osteoarthritis: an exploratory analysis of the SHARK randomised controlled trial CONNECT WITH RANATwitter: @HinmanRanaCONNECT WITH USTwitter: @ProfDavidHunter @jointactionorgEmail: hello@jointaction.infoWebsite: www.jointaction.info/podcastIf you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to subscribe to learn more about osteoarthritis from the world's leading experts! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode of Joint Action, we are joined by Dr Jackie Whittaker to discuss osteoarthritis prevention, risk factors and prevention strategies.Osteoarthritis is the most common joint condition, affecting more than 300 million people worldwide. There is currently no cure for OA and the current management strategies for OA are focussed on alleviating symptoms. Current management and include core treatments such as patient education, exercise and physical activity and weight loss or weight management if necessary. Given that there is no cure for OA, research into the field of osteoarthritis prevention has been emerging, and although there is still work to be done in the field, there has been new insights into modifiable risk factors such as obesity and joint injury. Dr. Jackie Whittaker is an Associate Professor in the Department of Physical Therapy, at the University of British Columbia and is recognized as a Clinical Specialist in Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy by the Canadian Physiotherapy Association. She completed her BScPT degree at the University of Alberta, PhD in Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation at the University of Southampton (UK) and a post-doctoral fellowship supported by an Alberta Innovates Health Solutions Clinician Fellowship in injury prevention and epidemiology at the University of Calgary. She has been an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physical Therapy and Research Director of the Glen Sather Sports Medicine Clinic at the University of Alberta.RESOURCESA lifespan approach to osteoarthritis prevention CONNECT WITH JACKIETwitter: @jwhittak_physioCONNECT WITH USTwitter: @ProfDavidHunter @jointactionorgEmail: hello@jointaction.infoWebsite: www.jointaction.info/podcastIf you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to subscribe to learn more about osteoarthritis from the world's leading experts! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Traditionally, osteoarthritis has been thought to be a non-inflammatory disease. However, we now know that inflammation plays a critical role in the development of OA in the joint and synovium. Synovitis, the inflammation of the synovial membrane is a classic characteristic of inflammatory arthritis such as rheumatoid arthritis but is now being seen in many people with OA. The presence of inflammation in the joint is thought to play a role in the different pain experiences of OA and disease progression. Research into the inflammatory pathways of OA may lead to the development of targeted therapies. On this episode of Joint Action, we are joined by Dr Tom Appleton to discuss inflammation and its role in OA onset and progression.Dr. Tom Appleton is Assistant Professor of Rheumatology and Clinician Scientist in the Department of Medicine, with cross-appointment to the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology and the Health and Rehabilitation Sciences Program at Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University. Dr. Appleton leads the Appleton lab which is focussed on understanding the role of synovium in the onset and progression of OA. His ongoing research is aimed at understanding the pathophysiology of synovial cell types involved in OA-associated synovitis and how these mechanisms contribute to OA symptoms and disease progression.RESOURCESSynovial tissue perivascular edema is associated with altered gait patterns in patients with knee osteoarthritisSynovitis Is Associated With Constant Pain in Knee Osteoarthritis: A Cross-sectional Study of OMERACT Knee Ultrasound ScoresTransient anabolic effects of synovium in early post-traumatic osteoarthritis: a novel ex vivo joint tissue co-culture system for investigating synovium-chondrocyte interactionsCONNECT WITH TOMTwitter: @appletonlabWebsite: Appleton LabCONNECT WITH USTwitter: @ProfDavidHunter @jointactionorgEmail: hello@jointaction.infoWebsite: www.jointaction.info/podcastIf you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to subscribe to learn more about osteoarthritis from the world's leading experts! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Exercise and education are recommended treatments for knee osteoarthritis. To date, there have been over 100 clinical trials demonstrating the beneficial effects of exercise for knee osteoarthritis compared to no-treatment control groups. This has resulted in strong recommendations for exercise as a primary management strategy for knee OA. The comparison of exercise to a no-treatment control introduces multiple biases. One option to overcome this is to compare exercise to a placebo treatment such as salt-water injections. A recently published paper compared an 8-week exercise and education program to 4 placebo salt-water injections in 206 adults with knee osteoarthritis. On this episode of Joint Action, we are joined by Marius Henriksen to discuss the results of his study.Professor Marius Henriksen is a research physiotherapist and besides leading the Physiotherapy and Biomechanics research unit at The Parker Institute, he is also a professor of physiotherapy at Copenhagen University and the department of physical and occupational therapy at Bispebjerg-Frederiksberg Hospital. His research focuses on clinical effectiveness of non-pharmacological interventions (in particular physiotherapy) with focus on pain and disability across a wide range of diseases.RESOURCESExercise and education versus saline injections for knee osteoarthritis: a randomised controlled equivalence trialCONNECT WITH MARIUSTwitter: @henriksen_mhWebsite: http://www.parkerinst.dk/CONNECT WITH USTwitter: @ProfDavidHunter @jointactionorgEmail: hello@jointaction.infoWebsite: www.jointaction.info/podcastIf you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to subscribe to learn more about osteoarthritis from the world's leading experts! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Exercise, physical activity and education are the cornerstone treatments for osteoarthritis. However, despite their proven efficacy, they are difficult to maintain long-term. Behaviour change techniques, which are specific techniques such as goal-setting or monitoring that can help people stick to an OA management plan long-term. On this week’s episode of Joint Action, we are joined by Dr Shannon Mihalko to discuss how we can use behaviour change techniques to stick to our diet and exercise routines.  Dr. Shannon Mihalko is a behavioral scientist whose research focuses on adherence and quality of life in adults with chronic disease, with a special interest in knee osteoarthritis and cancer populations. Specifically, her work examines determinants and consequences of behavior change and adherence, with a specific focus on building self-efficacy in older adults to engage in physical activity and healthy nutritional practices on their road to independence.CONNECT WITH USTwitter: @ProfDavidHunter @jointactionorgEmail: hello@jointaction.infoWebsite: www.jointaction.info/podcastIf you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to subscribe to learn more about osteoarthritis from the world's leading experts! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

That's a wrap for 2021! We will be back on January 17th with a brand new season. If you haven't already, please subscribe to the podcast so you don't miss out on new episodes! We would also be very grateful if you could leave us a review :)CONNECT WITH USTwitter: @ProfDavidHunter @jointactionorgEmail: hello@jointaction.infoWebsite: www.jointaction.info/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We recently published the results from a large randomised controlled trial investigating the effects of platelet-rich plasma for knee osteoarthritis. On this episode, we are joined by Prof Kim Bennell to discuss the results of the study.Prof Kim Bennell is a research physiotherapist and her current positions include Redmond Barry Distinguished Professor and Director of the Centre for Health, Exercise and Sports Medicine (CHESM), in Physiotherapy at the School of Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, NHMRC Investigator Fellow (L2) and Director of the NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence in Translational Research in Musculoskeletal Pain. She leads a multidisciplinary team including people from physiotherapy, medicine, exercise science, podiatry and psychology. Kim’s research focuses on conservative non-drug management of musculoskeletal conditions particularly osteoarthritis with an emphasis on the role of exercise in both prevention and management.RESOURCESResearch paper: Effect of Intra-articular Platelet-Rich Plasma vs Placebo Injection on Pain and Medial Tibial Cartilage Volume in Patients With Knee Osteoarthritis - The RESTORE Randomized Clinical TrialEditorial: Platelet-Rich Plasma for Osteoarthritis and Achilles TendinitisCONNECT WITH USTwitter: @ProfDavidHunter @jointactionorgEmail: hello@jointaction.infoWebsite: www.jointaction.info/podcastThis is our last episode of the year, if you haven't already, please subscribe so you don't miss out on new episodes! We would also be very grateful if you could leave us a review :) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.