Knee Osteoarthritis Rehabilitation Through Rotational Inertia

This study is testing an exercise program using a portable flywheel device (kBox) to help people with knee osteoarthritis (OA) improve their stair-climbing. The kBox creates resistance through your own movement, especially challenging your muscles as they lengthen. Researchers believe this training could improve muscle strength and coordination, leading to smoother, safer stair movement and potentially reducing falls. You might be able to join if you are between 40 and 70 years old and have knee OA (Kellgren-Lawrence Grade 2 or 3) or are in good health without knee pain. The study will measure how smoothly you can climb stairs to see if the exercise is successful. The current recruitment status is unclear.

Study design
This interventional study plans to enroll 60 participants. It is not specified if it is randomized or blinded.
What's involved
Not specified in the trial record.
Compensation
Not stated in the trial record.
Follow-up
Your stair-stepping smoothness will be measured at the beginning, up to 10 weeks, and up to 19 weeks.

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NCT07424352

Knee Osteoarthritis Rehabilitation Through Rotational Inertia

Recruiting
NAAges 40–70InterventionalBasic science
University of Colorado, Denver
~60 participants
Updated 2026-02-20 on ClinicalTrials.gov
What's tested:Eccentric resistance training

At a glance

Recruiting sites
1 of 1 listed site is recruiting right now
RecruitingSuspended, closed, or not yet open
What they're measuring
Stair-stepping smoothness
Measured over Baseline, up to 10 weeks, up to 19 weeks
Knee Arthritis, Osteoarthritis
1 sites across 1 states
Colorado1
  • Michael Harris-Love, PT, MPT, DSc, FGSA, FAPTA · PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR · University of Colorado, Denver

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Eligibility criteria

Inclusion

Aged 40-70 years
Radiographically confirmed knee OA (Kellgren-Lawrence \[KL\] Grade 2 or 3)
Able to walk independently (assistive devices permitted)
Aged 40-70 years
No radiographic evidence of knee OA (KL Grade 0 or 1)
No frequent knee pain
No history of:
Knee surgery (e.g., ACL reconstruction, meniscectomy, patellar realignment)
Significant knee injury (e.g., ligament tears, fractures, dislocations)
Diagnosed knee conditions (e.g., patellofemoral pain syndrome, bursitis)

Exclusion

Uncontrolled hypertension or other cardiovascular disease
A musculoskeletal condition preventing physical testing
Neurological muscle weakness (e.g., stroke, spinal cord injury)
BMI \>34.9 kg/m²
Recent hospitalization (past 3 months)
  • Stair-stepping smoothnessBaseline, up to 10 weeks, up to 19 weeks

    Stair-stepping smoothness quantifies motor coordination during the step-up-and-over test by analyzing the fluidity and consistency of limb movements while ascending and descending stairs. It is calculated using a jerk-based smoothness metric adapted from Gonzales et al., where jerk is defined as the third derivative of the position trajectory with respect to time. The smoothness index is derived by numerically differentiating the position data x(t) obtained from motion capture three times to calculate jerk, then squaring and summing these jerk values over the duration of the movement. Lower values of the smoothness index indicate smoother, more coordinated movements. Differences in this metric will be compared between knee osteoarthritis patients and age-matched healthy controls, with variance explained through linear regression models, and between exercise intervention and delayed exercise subgroups to assess changes in motor control during stair negotiation. Unitless.