PIPS
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A Feasibility Study into Patellar Instability: Physiotherapy or Surgery (the PIPS feasibility study)
IRAS ID
212482
Contact name
Andrew Metcalfe
Contact email
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 0 months, 0 days
Research summary
The patella, or kneecap, sits on the front of the knee and is an important part of how the knee functions. Occasionally the kneecap comes out of its groove and sits on the outside of the knee, this is called a dislocation. Following a patella dislocation, anywhere between a half and 70% of patients will go on to suffer with repeated instability symptoms. The condition typically occurs in a young, active, working population and can be very disabling. The term ‘recurrent instability’ is used to cover the range of symptoms, which includes repeated dislocations as well as those with a feeling that the knee is giving way or is likely to dislocate during certain activities.
Standard treatment for patients in the UK with recurrent instability of their patella is with physiotherapy or surgery. However there is currently not enough evidence to tell us which of the two treatments is most effective. For this study, a group of specialist physiotherapists have developed a package of personalised care to treat patients with dislocating kneecaps. We have called this ‘Personalised Knee Therapy’. This will be compared to surgery that has been recommended by specialist surgeons.
The aim of this study is to assess the feasibility of a pragmatic multi-centre randomised controlled trial to work out which treatment is best for people with repeated kneecap dislocations. Patients who agree to take part will be allocated to one of the two treatments and complete a questionnaire at the point of study entry, and postal questionnaires at 3, 6 and 12 months. Some participants (10-15) will be invited to take part in a structured telephone interview about their experience of being in the study itself. In this pilot study we will recruit 30-50 participants from 3 hospitals in the UK.
REC name
West Midlands - Coventry & Warwickshire Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
16/WM/0456
Date of REC Opinion
2 Nov 2016
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion