Examination of spinal joint forces in ankylosing spondylitis - V1
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Examination of spinal joint forces in ankylosing spondylitis and their correlation to radiographic disease progression
IRAS ID
270328
Contact name
Dario Cazzola
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Bath
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
REC: 13/SW/0096, The Bath Spondyloarthritis Biobank; EP 18/19 097, Validation of a 3D free-hand ultrasound to measure vertebral orientation and joint angles of the spine
Duration of Study in the UK
7 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS) is an autoimmune disease that causes inflammatory arthritis of the joints, affecting roughly 1-1.5% of the UK population, with onset generally occurring before the age of forty-five (SINGH and STRAND, 2009, Espahbodi et al., 2017). AS results in painful fusion of the spinal vertebrae that also limits patient’s movement and ability to perform daily tasks, impacting quality of life for a substantial number of years.
Currently, disease management is conducted with a physiotherapist who prescribes exercises based on patients reported outcomes and objective measures across a number of subjective rating scales (Zochling, 2011). It’s believed that vertebral joints that experience the highest loads are at risk of accelerated disease progression (Jacques et al., 2014). Therefore, identification of joints with increased load may facilitate treatments that are targeted to reduce these forces before they cause irreversible bone growth and movement loss, slowing down the rate of disease progression.
This project aims to determine if a correlation exists between greater vertebral joint forces and increased bone growth at these sites. This study will be run in conjunction with the Royal United Hospital and the University of Bath. Patients on routine clinical check-ups will be recruited to the study where data will be collected every six months for five years. The project will collect data of vertebral structures by the way of ultrasound imaging. Dynamic spinal movements will be examined using optical motion capture (video and still pictures) and electromyography. These measures will be combined to build a subject specific mathematical model to estimate vertebral joint forces. Patient’s X-rays obtained from routine clinical treatment (once every five years) will be used to determine spinal bone growth and will be compared to joint forces estimated from the mathematical model.
REC name
London - City & East Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
20/LO/0434
Date of REC Opinion
28 May 2020
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion