Effect of Bariatric Surgery on Joint Forces in Walking Gait
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The Effects of Bariatric Surgery on Hip and Knee Joint Forces in Walking Gait
IRAS ID
223681
Contact name
Penny E Hudson
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Chichester
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 2 months, 1 days
Research summary
Obesity is an increasingly prevalent health epidemic in both developed and developing countries. The disease is associated with numerous medical conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and breathing difficulties. It is also a risk factor for osteoarthritis, although the underlying mechanisms are unclear, and appear more complex than simply more weight equals more wear and tear of joints.
Weight loss ('bariatric') surgery is a clinically proven treatment for obesity and its associated conditions. However there is currently no evidence about whether this surgery can prevent osteoarthritis progression and therefore reduce the number of hip and knee replacements required on the NHS.
The purpose of this study is twofold: to gain further understanding of the biomechanics and gait changes in obese patients before and after bariatric surgery, and to establish if this treatment option can prevent the need for joint replacements - potentially changing NHS guidelines and impacting treatment for thousands of UK patients.
The study aims to recruit approximately 40 bariatric patients over 18 months. It will involve inviting them to the biomechanics laboratory at the University of Chichester, and analysing their gait and forces through their knees and hips using 3D Motion Capture technology. This will be repeated 6, 12 and 18 months after their surgery. Alongside this will be questionnaires to assess quality of life and how it changes as the participant loses weight.
REC name
Wales REC 4
REC reference
18/WA/0207
Date of REC Opinion
24 Jul 2018
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion