Reduced muscle strength from illness or injuries often leads to loss of function and independence in the elderly. The recovery of muscle strength and function in disabled elderly individuals is a major challenge in rehabilitation. The etiology of the muscle weakness with injury or age is fully elucidated. Training programs designed to maximize strength gains in young individuals may not be optimal in the elderly because the cause of the weakness and the morphology of the muscle may be different for young vs. old people. The overall goal of this work is to determine if physiologically and morphologically based rehabilitation programs are more effective than traditional rehabilitation to counter changes in muscle strength and function in older individuals. Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) may be used to improve strength and function following injury or surgery. This study provides motivation for exploring the use of NMES with the elderly. We posit that using NMES to augment a traditional rehabilitation program for elderly patients with osteoarthritis following total knee arthroplasties (TKA) will result in greater strength and functional gains than using only traditional rehabilitation. Elderly patients with osteoarthritis who undergo TKAs serve as ideal subjects for testing the effectiveness of rehabilitation programs become those patients almost always exhibit marked quadriceps weakness that is resistant to traditional physical rehabilitation. More than 300,000 TKAs are performed each year in the United States to treat osteoarthritis of the knee in older individuals. Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) may be used to improve strength and function following injury or surgery. This study provides motivation for exploring the use of NMES with the elderly, We posit that using NMES to augment a traditional rehabilitation program for elderly patients with osteoarthritis following total knee arthroplasties (TKA) will result in greater strength and functional gains than using only traditional rehabilitation. Elderly patients with osteoarthritis who undergo TKAs serve as ideal subjects for testing the effectiveness of rehabilitation programs become those patients almost always exhibit marked quadriceps weakness that is resistant to traditional physical rehabilitation. More than 300,000 TKAs are performed each year in the United States to treat osteoarthritis of the knee in older individuals. So, the successful rehabilitation of elder patients following TKA is an important and challenging problem.
The specific aims of this proposal are: 1) To assess the effectiveness of high-level neuromuscular electrical stimulation is an adjunct to ongoing intensive, early rehabilitation in restoring quadriceps strength and improving the functional outcome after primary TKA, and 2) To identify the physiological and morphological bases for improvements in quadriceps strength and functional outcome.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development (NICHD)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01HD041055-02
Application #
6624499
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZRG1-GRM (01))
Program Officer
Ansel, Beth
Project Start
2002-03-15
Project End
2007-02-28
Budget Start
2003-03-01
Budget End
2004-02-29
Support Year
2
Fiscal Year
2003
Total Cost
$282,825
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Delaware
Department
Other Health Professions
Type
Schools of Allied Health Profes
DUNS #
059007500
City
Newark
State
DE
Country
United States
Zip Code
19716
Logerstedt, David S; Zeni Jr, Joseph; Snyder-Mackler, Lynn (2014) Sex differences in patients with different stages of knee osteoarthritis. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 95:2376-81
Marmon, Adam Rubin; McClelland, Jodie A; Stevens-Lapsley, Jennifer et al. (2013) Single-step test for unilateral limb ability following total knee arthroplasty. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 43:66-73
Yoshida, Yuri; Mizner, Ryan L; Snyder-Mackler, Lynn (2013) Association between long-term quadriceps weakness and early walking muscle co-contraction after total knee arthroplasty. Knee 20:426-31
Yoshida, Yuri; Zeni, Joseph; Snyder-Mackler, Lynn (2012) Do patients achieve normal gait patterns 3 years after total knee arthroplasty? J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 42:1039-49
Bade, Michael J; Wolfe, Pamela; Zeni, Joseph A et al. (2012) Predicting poor physical performance after total knee arthroplasty. J Orthop Res 30:1805-10
Marmon, Adam R; Snyder-Mackler, Lynn (2011) Quantifying Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation Dosage after Knee Arthroplasty. J Life Sci (Libertyville) 5:581-583
Mizner, Ryan L; Petterson, Stephanie C; Clements, Katie E et al. (2011) Measuring functional improvement after total knee arthroplasty requires both performance-based and patient-report assessments: a longitudinal analysis of outcomes. J Arthroplasty 26:728-37
Petterson, Stephanie C; Barrance, Peter; Marmon, Adam R et al. (2011) Time course of quad strength, area, and activation after knee arthroplasty and strength training. Med Sci Sports Exerc 43:225-31
Zeni Jr, J A; Snyder-Mackler, L (2010) Most patients gain weight in the 2 years after total knee arthroplasty: comparison to a healthy control group. Osteoarthritis Cartilage 18:510-4
Laufer, Yocheved; Snyder-Mackler, Lynn (2010) Response of male and female subjects after total knee arthroplasty to repeated neuromuscular electrical stimulation of the quadriceps femoris muscle. Am J Phys Med Rehabil 89:464-72

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