Current research projects

Research studies

UKR

Oxford unicompartmental knee replacement

Second decade outcome study

Cathy Jenkins, Hemant Pandit, Karen Barker, David Murray.

Objective: to identify, from postoperative X-rays, which patients are more at risk of developing Lateral Compartment Osteoarthritis (LCOA) in the second decade after UKR surgery.

Excercise adherence

What interventions are used to improve excercise adherence in community dwelling older people

A systematic review

Jonathan Room, Mary Boulton, Helen Dawes, Karen Barker

Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Oxford Brookes University

Objectives: to establish what interventions are used to improve adherence to prescribed exercise for older people and determine the effectiveness of these interventions.  

MAPS

Measuring Alignment and Posture of the Spine

Erin Hannink, Helen Dawes, Karen Barker

Objective: to measure concurrent validity and test-retest reliability of measuring sagittal spine alignment with a postural topography method compared to the Cobb angle from a lateral X-ray of the spine.

OPAL

Occupational support for Patients undergoing Arthroplasty of the Lower limb

To assess whether the OPAL occupational support programme improves the time it takes patients to make a safe and sustained return to work after hip and knee replacement surgery.

About the OPAL Trial - OPAL - Return to Work

OPT-IN

OsteoPorosis Tailored exercise adherence INtervention

The OPTIN study will test if physiotherapy exercise treatment plus a personalised programme of techniques to encourage people to do their exercises regularly is of more benefit to patients compared to physiotherapy exercises alone.

The aim of the study is to understand if adding support techniques improves patient wellbeing, physical function, fear of falling and exercise participation.

Opt-In | OsteoPorosis Tailored exercise adherence INtervention - NDORMS

THRIVE

Tailored pHysiotherapy RehabIlitation after reVision total hip rEplacemnt: a feasibility randomised controlled trial

Erin Hannink, Karen Barker, Francine Toye, Stephen Gerry, Beth Fordham, Elizabeth Stokes, Antony Palmer

To evaluate the feasibility of a trial comparing two types of physiotherapy after revision total hip replacement surgery: (a) physiotherapy designed around the patient that includes tailored exercise and education, and (b) physiotherapy that a patient would normally have after surgery.

PN

What are the most important surgical and rehabilitation outcomes to patients after total knee replacement? A discrete choice experiment.

Philippa Nicolson, Karen Barker, Abtin Alvand

To determine which are the most important surgical and rehabilitation outcomes to patients after total knee replacement for osteoarthritis, and to explore whether sociodemographic and health characteristics impact on an individual’s prioritisation of outcomes.

The experience of patients undergoing aseptic, elective revision knee joint replacement surgery: a qualitative study.

Philippa Nicolson, Fran Toye, Shiraz Sabah, Andrew Price, Abtin Alvand, Karen Barker

To gain a deeper understanding of patients’ experiences of having a problematic knee replacement and the impact of undergoing revision knee joint replacement for aseptic, elective reasons.

Supported studies

BOOST

The BOOST study is a randomised controlled trial (RCT) studying two different physiotherapy treatment approaches for back and leg pain or symptoms due to lumbar spinal stenosis (also called neurogenic claudication). This is a condition that affects older people and limits their ability to walk and stand which impacts on their ability to remain independent.  The study will recruit over 400 adults over 10 NHS hospitals across England.  Participants will be 65 years and over who experience symptoms due to lumbar spinal stenosis. Participants will be randomised into one of two groups:

TREATMENT 1: One-to-one physiotherapy treatment (1 to 3 appointments)

TREATMENT 2: A group physiotherapy programme (12 classes)

BOOST - NDORMS

WORKWELL

Testing work advice for people with arthritis

WORKWELL is a randomised controlled trial for the development and evaluation of a work retention programme for employed people with inflammatory arthritis.

TEMPO

Tailored Exercise Management for People aged 80 years or older with hip/knee Osteoarthritis: the TEMPO feasibility randomised trial.

Philippa Nicolson, Melanie Holden, Ioana Marian, Esther Williamson, Sally Hopewell, Sallie Lamb

The TEMPO feasibility study aims to determine if it is feasible to conduct a future large randomised controlled trial to test the clinical and cost-effectiveness of a 12-week tailored exercise programme, compared to usual care, in improving functional status in adults aged 80 years and over with hip/knee OA and comorbidities.

TEMPO - NDORMS

Tailored exercise management (TEMPO) versus usual care for people aged 80 years or older with hip/knee osteoarthritis: study protocol for a feasibility randomised controlled trial - PMC

Meteor2

The Meniscal Transplant surgery or Optimised Rehabilitation - Full Randomised Trial (MeTeOR2)

Andrew Metcalfe, Tim Spalding

Two treatments will be compared for patients with a total meniscectomy. One group of patients will have a course of personalised knee physiotherapy and the other group will have a meniscal transplant.

In total 144 participants will be recruited from 12 NHS trusts and 3 international sites and followed up for 24 months post randomisation.

METEOR2

MOTION Trial

What is the clinical-effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of surgery with medial opening wedge high tibial osteotomy (HTO) compared with non-surgical treatment in the management of osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee in patients younger than 60 years?

Anish Amin

This trial will compare the clinical and cost-effectiveness of HTO with structured Personalised Knee Therapy (PKT) in patients <60 years with symptomatic medial compartment knee OA.

RAPSODI-UK

Reverse or Anatomical replacement for Painful Shoulder Osteoarthritis, Differences between Interventions

Ian Trail, Joseph Dias

This trial aims to provide clinical evidence for the superiority (or not) of reverse shoulder replacements over anatomic. We also aim to inform which is the most cost-effective option to the NHS, explore patients' expectations of the two types of shoulder replacement, and to link with the National Joint Registry for data on patient mortality and revision rates.

RAPSODI - Health Sciences, University of York

UKR audit

Uni-compartmental Knee Replacement Audit

This is a long-term audit of the outcomes of the Oxford Uni-compartmental Knee Replacement and 2025 will see patients having their 27-year review.

David Murray - Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences

Pain-less

Improving chronic pain through targeted brain-based mechanisms

Ben Seymour

Work Package 1: To test whether CBT-based sleep interventions (Sleepio) improve cognition and pain in fibromyalgia, a condition resulting in pain all over the body and extreme tiredness.

Pain - NIHR Oxford Health Biomedical Research Centre

TANGENT (TGCT Study)

A Clinical Trial to Evaluate Emactuzumab as a Treatment for People with Tenosynovial Giant Cell Tumor (TGCT)

Jean Y Blay

This is a multicentre, Phase 3, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, which aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the investigational drug emactuzumab for the treatment of patients with localized or diffuse TGCT where surgical removal of the tumor is not viewed as an option.

TANGENT (TGCT Study)

PAMPER

Development of a Physical Activity Maintenance intervention for people with PERsistent musculoskeletal pain

Greg Booth

The PAMPER project aims to develop an intervention (support package) to help people with persistent musculoskeletal pain keep up physical activity after a pain management programme.

The Pamper Project