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The Development And Evaluation Of Resources To Improve The Quality Of Care For Patients With Knee Osteoarthritis, Laura K. Churchill

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Purpose: The non-operative management of patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA) is often considered suboptimal. Sub-optimal management includes inadequate use of non-surgical treatments, misuse of diagnostic imaging, and non-operative referrals to surgeons in consideration of total knee replacement (TKR). These inefficiencies result from an interplay of factors involving primary care physicians, patients, and the systems in which they function. The overall purpose of this thesis is to develop a means to optimize the management of patients with knee OA, and the timing and quality of referrals to TKR.

Methods: This thesis includes three studies. In study 1, we identified and cross-validated …

Dynamic Loading And Pain In Knee Osteoarthritis: Effects Of Limb Realignment And Ligament Reconstruction Surgeries, Kendal Marriott

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Painful loading of the knee during walking is a key feature of knee osteoarthritis (OA). The external knee moments derived from three-dimensional gait analysis represent dynamic knee loads and may help evaluate surgical interventions. However, the relationships between knee moments and pain and the effects of surgery remain unclear. The overall purpose of this thesis was to investigate knee moments and pain during walking in patients with moderate medial knee OA, including the effects of limb realignment and ligament reconstruction surgeries. This thesis includes three studies investigating knee moments in patients with medial compartment tibiofemoral OA.

Chapter 2 describes a …

Reliability And Validity Of The Star Excursion Balance Test In Patients With Knee Osteoarthritis, Lauren Kanko

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The purpose of this study was to investigate the measurement properties of the star excursion balance test (SEBT) in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA). Specific objectives were to estimate: 1) test-retest reliability, 2) concurrent validity of observer measurements compared to a 3D motion capture system, and 3) longitudinal validity in response to 12 weeks of neuromuscular exercises. Thirty-eight patients diagnosed with knee OA participated. They performed the SEBT on three test occasions. The first two test sessions were completed within one week and the third was 12 weeks later. Participants performed exercises at home over the 12-week period. Intraclass correlation …

Measurement Of Illness Perception And Behaviour Along A Continuum Of Symptomatic Knee Osteoarthritis: A Transdisciplinary Approach, Clayon B. Hamilton

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Objectives: A multifactorial approach is recommended for the identification/diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of pain in knee osteoarthritis (OA). One aspect of this approach includes illness perception and behaviour. The purpose of this thesis was to investigate the measurement of illness perception and behaviour along a continuum of symptomatic knee OA, starting from the early symptoms of knee OA.

Methods: Three studies were conducted to fulfill this purpose. The first study was a scoping review that applied an interpretative analysis to validated measures that had been used to assess people with knee pain and/or knee OA. Second was the construct validation …