Knee Arthroplasty Activity Trial (NCT04107649)
🩺 Plain-English Summary (8th-Grade Level)
Total knee replacement (TKR) is a common and costly procedure widely used to relieve pain and improve function in patients with symptomatic advanced knee osteoarthritis (OA). As of 2013, the annual incidence of TKR was over 680,000 surgeries and annual costs exceeded $11 billion. Growing evidence suggests that while pain and functional status improve following TKR, physical activity (PA) typically does not surpass pre-TKR levels. Engagement in PA can meaningfully improve quality of life (QoL), pain, and function. Given the large investment in TKR, the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of TKR could be substantially increased if TKR recipients became more physically active. The Knee Arthroplasty Activity Trial (KArAT) is a randomized controlled trial and participants will be randomly assigned to one of three arms. Participants across all arms will receive usual post-operative care for TKR surgery. Participants in the first arm will complete basic study activities, such as responding to surveys and attending two in-person clinic visits. Participants in the second arm will do the same and also receive a wrist-based physical activity tracker intervention. Participants in the third arm will receive a telephonic active coaching (motivational interviewing) and financial incentives (for reaching physical activity goals) (TAC(MI)+FI) based intervention, as well as a wrist-based physical activity tracker intervention. The second and third arms will be eligible to receive lottery-based financial rewards for wearing a wrist-worn activity tracker for twenty-four months during the study.
Who can join: To join this study, participants generally need to meet the listed inclusion criteria (7 items) and avoid the listed exclusions (10 items).
Location: Northwestern Memorial Hospital — Chicago, Illinois
📋 "Do I Qualify?" — 1-Minute Self Screener
Instant ChecklistCheck every box below. If you can check all of them, you may meet the study's basic screening requirements (final eligibility is confirmed by the site team).
Usually NOT eligible if any of the following apply:
- Exclusion Criteria:
- Non-English speaking
- Residence in nursing home
- Diagnosis of dementia, epilepsy, Parkinson's Disease, or diabetes with peripheral neuropathy
- Inflammatory arthritis (rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis, reactive arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, polymyalgia)
- Psychological issues that preclude participation
- Inpatient or other musculoskeletal surgery scheduled within six months following index primary TKR
- Uses a wheelchair to ambulate (subjects who use a cane will be eligible)
- Surgeon-documented other reason for study exclusion
- Subject does not have regular access to a device capable of receiving email or text messages
🔍 Extracted verbatim from the official NIH eligibility criteria. Always confirm with the study coordinator.
📍 All Participating Trial Locations (5 Sites)
- Northwestern Memorial Hospital — Chicago, Illinois
- University of Kansas Medical Center — Kansas City, Kansas
- Brigham and Women's Hospital — Boston, Massachusetts
- University of Nebraska Medical Center — Omaha, Nebraska
- University at Buffalo — Buffalo, New York
💰 Cost, Insurance & Patient Rights
- 100% Free Items: The investigational treatment and protocol-required procedures are supplied at zero cost by the sponsor.
- Routine Patient Care: Under federal law (ACA § 2709) and many state statutes, routine care costs are covered during participation.
- Voluntary Participation: You may withdraw at any time without affecting your standard medical care.