Is modular control related to functional outcomes in individuals with knee osteoarthritis and following total knee arthroplasty?

<h4>Background</h4>Individuals who undergo total knee arthroplasty (TKA) for treatment of knee osteoarthritis often experience suboptimal outcomes. Investigation of neuromuscular control strategies in these individuals may reveal factors that contribute to these functional deficits. The...

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Main Authors: Rebekah R Koehn, Sarah A Roelker, Xueliang Pan, Laura C Schmitt, Ajit M W Chaudhari, Robert A Siston
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2022-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0267340
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author Rebekah R Koehn
Sarah A Roelker
Xueliang Pan
Laura C Schmitt
Ajit M W Chaudhari
Robert A Siston
author_facet Rebekah R Koehn
Sarah A Roelker
Xueliang Pan
Laura C Schmitt
Ajit M W Chaudhari
Robert A Siston
author_sort Rebekah R Koehn
collection DOAJ
description <h4>Background</h4>Individuals who undergo total knee arthroplasty (TKA) for treatment of knee osteoarthritis often experience suboptimal outcomes. Investigation of neuromuscular control strategies in these individuals may reveal factors that contribute to these functional deficits. The purpose of this pilot study was to determine the relationship between patient function and modular control during gait before and after TKA.<h4>Methods</h4>Electromyography data from 36 participants (38 knees) were collected from 8 lower extremity muscles on the TKA-involved limb during ≥5 over-ground walking trials before (n = 30), 6-months after (n = 26), and 24-months after (n = 13) surgery. Muscle modules were estimated using non-negative matrix factorization. The number of modules was determined from 500 resampled trials.<h4>Results</h4>A higher number of modules was related to better performance-based and patient-reported function before and 6-months after surgery. Participants with organization similar to healthy, age-matched controls trended toward better function 24-months after surgery, though these results were not statistically significant. We also observed plasticity in the participants' modular control strategies, with 100% of participants who were present before and 24-months after surgery (10/10) demonstrating changes in the number of modules and/or organization of at least 1 module.<h4>Conclusions</h4>This pilot work suggests that functional improvements following TKA may initially present as increases in the number of modules recruited during gait. Subsequent improvements in function may present as improved module organization.<h4>Noteworthy</h4>This work is the first to characterize motor modules in TKA both before and after surgery and to demonstrate changes in the number and organization of modules over the time course of recovery, which may be related to changes in patient function. The plasticity of modular control following TKA is a key finding which has not been previously documented and may be useful in predicting or improving surgical outcomes through novel rehabilitation protocols.
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spelling doaj.art-3cec38ce9493478cb6dd05fb242063b82022-12-22T02:59:50ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032022-01-01174e026734010.1371/journal.pone.0267340Is modular control related to functional outcomes in individuals with knee osteoarthritis and following total knee arthroplasty?Rebekah R KoehnSarah A RoelkerXueliang PanLaura C SchmittAjit M W ChaudhariRobert A Siston<h4>Background</h4>Individuals who undergo total knee arthroplasty (TKA) for treatment of knee osteoarthritis often experience suboptimal outcomes. Investigation of neuromuscular control strategies in these individuals may reveal factors that contribute to these functional deficits. The purpose of this pilot study was to determine the relationship between patient function and modular control during gait before and after TKA.<h4>Methods</h4>Electromyography data from 36 participants (38 knees) were collected from 8 lower extremity muscles on the TKA-involved limb during ≥5 over-ground walking trials before (n = 30), 6-months after (n = 26), and 24-months after (n = 13) surgery. Muscle modules were estimated using non-negative matrix factorization. The number of modules was determined from 500 resampled trials.<h4>Results</h4>A higher number of modules was related to better performance-based and patient-reported function before and 6-months after surgery. Participants with organization similar to healthy, age-matched controls trended toward better function 24-months after surgery, though these results were not statistically significant. We also observed plasticity in the participants' modular control strategies, with 100% of participants who were present before and 24-months after surgery (10/10) demonstrating changes in the number of modules and/or organization of at least 1 module.<h4>Conclusions</h4>This pilot work suggests that functional improvements following TKA may initially present as increases in the number of modules recruited during gait. Subsequent improvements in function may present as improved module organization.<h4>Noteworthy</h4>This work is the first to characterize motor modules in TKA both before and after surgery and to demonstrate changes in the number and organization of modules over the time course of recovery, which may be related to changes in patient function. The plasticity of modular control following TKA is a key finding which has not been previously documented and may be useful in predicting or improving surgical outcomes through novel rehabilitation protocols.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0267340
spellingShingle Rebekah R Koehn
Sarah A Roelker
Xueliang Pan
Laura C Schmitt
Ajit M W Chaudhari
Robert A Siston
Is modular control related to functional outcomes in individuals with knee osteoarthritis and following total knee arthroplasty?
PLoS ONE
title Is modular control related to functional outcomes in individuals with knee osteoarthritis and following total knee arthroplasty?
title_full Is modular control related to functional outcomes in individuals with knee osteoarthritis and following total knee arthroplasty?
title_fullStr Is modular control related to functional outcomes in individuals with knee osteoarthritis and following total knee arthroplasty?
title_full_unstemmed Is modular control related to functional outcomes in individuals with knee osteoarthritis and following total knee arthroplasty?
title_short Is modular control related to functional outcomes in individuals with knee osteoarthritis and following total knee arthroplasty?
title_sort is modular control related to functional outcomes in individuals with knee osteoarthritis and following total knee arthroplasty
url https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0267340
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