Clinical Research Directory

Evaluation of Injury Risk Factors and Effects of Individualized Exercise Program in Basketball and Volleyball Athletes

This study aims to identify injury risk factors using a clinical/functional test battery in university basketball and volleyball athletes, to develop individualized exercise prescriptions for athletes scoring below established cut-off values on each test, and to evaluate the effects of an 8-week intervention program on test parameters. As a secondary aim, all participants will be monitored prospectively over a 6-month season to assess the incidence of injuries and health problems, and to evaluate the contribution of the individualized program to injury-related health outcomes. The study consists of four phases: (1) baseline cross-sectional assessment (T0), (2) 8-week individualized exercise intervention for athletes below cut-off thresholds, (3) post-intervention reassessment (T1), and (4) 6-month prospective injury surveillance (T2).

Use of an Integrated Orthotic and Rehabilitation Initiative for Treatment of Lower Extremity Musculoskeletal Disorders

The Intrepid Dynamic Exoskeletal Orthosis (IDEO) is a custom, energy storage and return ankle orthosis proven to improve functional ability when coupled with a customized high-intensity rehabilitation program. The Return to Performance (RTP) clinical pathway is the civilian version of the evidence-based Return To Run (RTR) clinical pathway. Together, the CUSTOMIZED EXOSKELETAL ORTHOSIS and RTP form a novel orthotic and rehabilitation initiative. A diverse group of patients has utilized the pathway to date, including combat wounded Soldiers undergoing complex limb salvage procedures, those with muscle and tendon deficiencies, patients with postoperative nerve palsies, various lower extremity fractures and many others. With this study we are seeking to determine how participation in CUSTOMIZED EXOSKELETAL ORTHOSIS RTP clinical pathway affects patient outcomes as determined by validated functional outcome measures. Subjects will undergo testing before, during and after completion of the clinical pathway.

Baseline ACL Injury Risk Screening and Normative Data

This is a prospective, observational cohort study aimed at establishing a database of normative biomechanics for healthy athletes and surveying these athletes for one year following baseline testing for the occurrence of new musculoskeletal injuries, with a particular emphasis on ACL injuries.

Post-Concussion Musculoskeletal Injury Risks

Musculoskeletal injuries (MSKI) and traumatic brain injury (TBI) are the signature injuries of the ongoing military conflicts. MSKI affect 800,000 Service Members annually and TBI have impacted more than 350,000 in the past 19 years and account for 22% of all combat casualties. Concussion, a mild form of TBI, increases MSKI risk in physically active individuals, including Service Members. The overall goal of the study is to identify the neuromuscular control mechanisms that increase MSKI risk following concussion. It is hypothesized that concussed individuals will display abnormal neuromuscular function that increases MSKI risk, as compared to non-concussed controls. The study will employ a multi-center, prospective, case-matched control observational study to identify the differences in neuromuscular function following concussion that may contribute to increased MSKI risk. Once the neuromuscular control mechanisms that increase MSKI risk following concussion are identified, targeted risk mitigation strategies can be developed to reduce MSKI risk.

Mind-Body Conditioning Course for University Dance Students

Mindfulness in Motion (MIM) is an eight-week evidenced based program designed specifically to help participants learn practical stress reduction, burnout and resiliency building techniques. Content includes didactic instruction, community-building group discussion, mindfulness practices, and gentle yoga. Weekly themes include Willingness to Daily Practice, Mindful Sleep, Vision of Self, Supported by the Breath, Mindful Eating and Yoga, Movement Through Balance, Awareness of Sensation, Clarity and Release, and Staying Grounded and Moving Forward. An Ohio State University endorsed, ADA compliant companion smartphone app reinforces weekly content and offers a variety of individual mind-body and mediations practices. The evidence-based MIM content has been tailored to meet the physical, mental, and emotional needs of student Dance majors at The Ohio State University and integrated into the Dance 2802 course content as Mind-Body Conditioning for second year students. Over the course of the second year student's fall semester, this study will evaluate the effectiveness of this integrated course content on students' perceived stress, burnout, resilience, musculoskeletal injury and discomfort, and weekly respiratory rates. After the semester long course is completed, the students will also assess how well the Mind-Body Conditioning course content was integrated into the required first year seminar for University Dance majors.

The Effects of AFO Heel Height and Stiffness on Gait

The proposed study evaluates the effect of ankle foot orthosis (AFO) heel height and stiffness on the forces and motion of the lower limb during over-ground walking in individuals who use an AFO for daily walking. Previous studies suggest that heel height and stiffness effect limb loading, but these data and the analysis techniques applied are limited. In this study, heel cushions with different height and stiffness's (4 conditions) will be placed in participants shoes and they will walk at controlled and self-selected speeds. Participants will also walk with their AFO as configured prior to enrollment, and with no AFO if possible. The proposed study will provide evidence that can be used by clinicians and researchers to align braces that most effectively improve function during every-day walking.

Emotional Awareness and Expression Therapy for People With Persistent Pain Following Orthopedic Trauma

The purpose of this single-arm trial is to determine the feasibility of emotional awareness and expression therapy (EAET) for individuals with persistent pain following orthopedic trauma. As part of this study, participants will be asked to attend weekly EAET treatment sessions and complete assessments (including pre-treatment, post-treatment, and follow-up) consisting of questionnaires and sensory testing procedures.

Micro-Doppler Radar: A Gold Standard Comparison

The purpose of this study is to see if the study team can use micro-Doppler signal (MDS) technology to determine if someone has had an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. The investigators will do this by comparing the movement data from a group of people who have had the surgery with a group who has not had the surgery to see if the micro-Doppler radar technology can accurately and predictably tell the difference.

Topical Diclofenac vs.Oral Ibuprofen for MSK Pain in Children

The TOP-MAP pilot trial has multiple goals. The first goal of this pilot clinical trial is to find out if it will be possible to carry out a study at multiple pediatric emergency department sites (Peds ED) comparing Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory (NSAID) gel applied to a new ankle or knee injury to NSAIDs taken by mouth in kids aged 6-18. The investigators want to determine if the gel works as well or better at reducing pain than NSAIDs given by mouth. Based on studies done on adults, the investigators know that NSAIDs that are applied directly to an injury work as well at relieving pain as NSAIDs that are taken by mouth. Another goal of this pilot trial is to determine if it is possible to recruit participants to the study, and if the participants complete the questionnaire and take the medications as prescribed on Day 1. The participants will be in the study for 14 days. Participants will be required to take the oral NSAID medication and to apply the topical NSAID gel 3 times a day for the first 3 days after their visit to the ED. The investigators will ask the participants to rate their pain on a scale of 0 (no pain) to 10 (worst pain ever) before and after they use the medicine. On day 7, the participants will rate their pain, and their activity level. On day 14 participants will do the same.

Adaptions and Resiliency to Multi-Stressor OpeRations

Non-combat-related muscle, tendon and bone injuries are the most common injuries suffered by military personnel, particularly in new recruits. These injuries impact military readiness and are responsible for roughly 60% of limited duty days, 65% of soldiers who are unable to deploy, and nearly $500 million in medical cost to the government annually in the Army alone. Drug interventions must be studied and developed to prevent these negative outcomes and prepare military personnel for the demands of military service. At the current time, military leadership has identified critical gaps in understanding how to minimize these injuries and train soldiers with drug intervention serving among those gaps. The goal of this study is to determine how a hormonal intervention can change muscle, tendon, and bone function as well as physical and psychological performance in response to mental and physical stress. To do so, we will examine sex hormone (testosterone, estrogen) levels, muscle, tendon, and bone images, blood samples, and physical and mental performance. We will look at things like changes in hormone levels, chemicals released from active skeletal muscles, and your body composition. The results from this study will be used to improve physical readiness training in the military with the goal of reducing injuries.

Can Immediate Post-injury Fluoxetine Improve the Recovery Trajectories of Victims in Bodily Trauma?

With this prospective double-blinded, placebo controlled clinical trial we hypothesize that immediate (post-injury) intervention with Fluoxetine will prevent/mitigate the development of negative psychiatric symptomology such as PTSD and depression for victims of bodily trauma. We also hypothesize that immediate use of Fluoxetine will decrease subjects' pain, pain interference and opioid use without changing our standard of care post-injury pain medication regimen. Enrolled subjects will be randomized to Fluoxetine or placebo at their index hospitalization.

Running Online Injury Prevention Feasibility Study

The main purpose of this study is to test the feasibility of a larger scale interventional study. The investigators want to understand whether data can be reliably collected data various different streams while participants follow a standard 12-week half-marathon training program, and whether participants follow training recommendations.

Exercise Engagement in People Over 60 at Risk of Falls

It is a qualitative study, using semi structured interviews to explore patient's experiences of falls and their perceptions on facilitators and barriers to exercise. Aim: To explore reasons for and against engaging with exercises at home in participants over the age of 60 at risk of falls. To explore: 1. Patients' preferences to exercise format and type eg/ leaflet, online, access, such as the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) chair exercises leaflet or individual personalized rehabilitation programme handouts 2. The ability to discuss falls risk with health professionals. 3. If health inequalities exist with people at risk of falls and exercising. 4. Sustainability of exercise, in order to reduce the risk of falls in this population. 5. The need to develop MSK internal and external facing falls management pathways. Suitability: Patients over the age of 60, who have been identified at risk of falls, having been referred to MSK Physiotherapy in Rossendale. 'Risk of falls' is defined as: patient self-reports they are unsteady, had one or more fall in the last 6 months, or clinician identified a slow/unsteady gait pattern on examination. Semi structured interviews on up to ten participants. It is anticipated that this sample size will give adequate data saturation. Approximately 12 months from participant recruitment to analysis of findings.

Multi-axis Assessment of Injured Workers

The percentage of loss time claims receiving Loss of Earnings benefits at 3 months has continued to rise amongst injured workers in Ontario despite the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) approach of "Better at Work". The primary health services to address loss time claims associated with musculoskeletal injuries include the evidenced-based programs of care, occupational health assessment program and musculoskeletal specialty programs, however, these are set to be revised and relaunched in Q1 2023. Across treatment protocols there are challenges that, at least in part, appear to contribute to the increasing percentage of workers on full loss of earnings at 3 months include (1) inconsistent early identification of workers who should be triaged to various health services and (2) reliable determination of the optimal timing of referral to the most targeted care to enable a safe and sustainable return to work. The investigators aim to develop and evaluate a predictive assessment model to triage workers to the best service within the first 8 weeks of their claim to increase the rate of early return to work, with the long-term goal that the triage protocol becomes part of a person-centric protocol that reduces the duration of work-related disability. The investigators will develop and evaluate an assessment protocol for injured workers that enter any of the musculoskeletal-specific WSIB programs of care, which have been consolidated into a single program as of 2023. This study will be a prospective inception cohort design using data collected from injured workers receiving WSIB musculoskeletal programs of care services at CBI Health clinics in Ontario Canada. Worker data will be collected at intake to the program of care service and again approximately four and eight weeks after intake (or earlier if a worker completes the program of care). The investigators will complete data analysis in three steps including descriptive and bivariate associations, Maximum Likelihood-based Latent Profile Analysis, and evaluation of results against successful work outcomes and secondary outcomes. Qualitative data will be mined for alternative indicators of recovery / non-recovery. The study recruitment goal is 300 - 350 workers with complete follow-up within a 2-year period.

A Study of Human Allogeneic Bone-marrow Derived Mesenchymal Stromal Cell Product (StromaForte) in Patients With Musculoskeletal Injuries and/or Degeneration

The goal of this ongoing open-label, single-arm, phase I/IIa study in patients is designed to assess the safety of human allogeneic BM-derived MSCs product StromaForte for musculoskeletal injury or/and degeneration. Any male or female with any musculoskeletal injury and/or degeneration above 18 years will be enrolledThe main questions it aims to answer are: To assess the safety after 28±10, 84±10, 168±10 and 349±10 days of injection by reporting the number of adverse events or severe adverse event assessed by Common Terminology Criteria Change from baseline in subjective pain assessment in each injured and/or degenerated area (if multiple injury is reported, each area to be followed up separately) Eligible patients will receive 50 x 106 allogeneic bone marrow (BM)-derived MSC formulated in 4 ml infusion solution of sodium chloride supplemented with human serum albumin to be given locally under ultrasound guidance along with or without 100 x 106 allogeneic BM-derived MSCs formulated in sodium chloride supplemented with human serum albumin to be given via slow intravenous infusion in approximately 30 min. Systemic treatment alone is used when local injection at site of injury is not feasible. Additional dose can be administered.

Quality of Life and Life Satisfaction in Pediatric and Adolescent Gymnasts Through Injury

This study aims to assess the quality and life and life satisfaction of pediatric and adolescent gymnasts throughout their musculoskeletal injury recovery.