Prehabilitation in Older People Undergoing Total Hip Replacement

NCT07048080 | Not Yet Recruiting DMC

• 1 other identifier: FONDECYT 1251133
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 70
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to determine the effect of Resistance Exercise Training (RET)-based (p)rehabilitation versus usual care on skeletal muscle mass and function, as well as on underlying biological processes, in older adults undergoing elective Total Hip Replacement (THR) due to severe Osteoarthritis (OA). The main questions it aims to answer are:

• What is the effects of RET-based (p)rehabilitation versus usual care to improve muscle mass and function in patients undergoing elective unilateral THR surgery for end-stage OA?
• What is the potential of certain circulating biomarkers to predict the efficacy of the musculoskeletal system response to RET in patients with severe OA? Researchers will compare RET-based (p)rehabilitation versus usual care to see if RET works to increase skeletal muscle mass and function. Participants in the usual care group will undergo standard rehabilitation (12 weeks post-surgery), and participants in the (p)rehabilitation group will undergo RET-based full-body (p)rehabilitation (3x/week) for 2 weeks pre-surgery and 12 weeks post-surgery.

Conditions

Hip Replacement in Osteoarthritis Patients; Osteoarthritis, Hip

Keywords

hip osteoarthritis; total hip replacement; resistance exercise training; older people

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Change in Cross-Sectional Area of Quadriceps measured via MRI - Scanning after resistance exercise training

  Anatomic CSA of the quadriceps muscle will be assessed in the study by MRI scanning at baseline, after 2 weeks of prehabilitation and after 12 weeks of rehabilitation for all participants. On the obtained MRI images, muscle tissue will be defined by threshold values of 0-100 Hounsfield Units, and the quadriceps muscle will be selected by manual tracing using ImageJ software (version 1.45d, National Institute of Health, Maryland, USA). All analyses will be performed by one investigator blinded to participant coding.

  The assessment will be conducted 2 weeks and 48 hours before surgery and after the 12-week intervention in both groups

• Change in Protein Synthesis Rates (MPS) on Muscle, Bone and Cartilage measured via tissue samples after resistance exercise training.

  All tissue samples (muscle, cartilage and bone) will be collected through surgical excision in the sub-study, except for the vastus lateralis muscle which will be collected from the middle region of the vastus lateralis during the surgical procedure. Conventional muscle biopsy samples of the vastus lateralis will be collected to assess MPS rates and compare this between the intervention and usual care group, as well as to provide a reference to the synthesis rates of the various musculoskeletal tissues obtained during surgery. Hereafter, samples will be freed from any visible blood, immediately frozen in liquid nitrogen, and will be stored at -80°C until subsequent analysis (38). Intramuscular free and bound 2H-Alanine enrichment will be analyzed by gas-chromatography mass spectrometer (GC-MS; Agilent 5975C MSD \& 7890A GC, Wilmington, DE).

  The assessment will be conducted 2 weeks before surgery and during the surgery.

Secondary Outcomes (12)

• Change in functional capacity measured via Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) after resistance exercise training.

  The assessment will be conducted 2 weeks and 48 hours before surgery and after the 12-week intervention.

• Immunodetection of protein synthesis markers in tissue sample 2 weeks before surgery, during surgery and after resistance exercise training.

  The assessments will be conducted with the samples obtained 2 weeks before surgery, during surgery and after 12-week intervention.

• Change in biomarkers measured via blood samples after resistance exercise training.

  The assessment will be conducted 2 weeks and 48 hours before surgery and after the 12-week intervention.

• Change in functional capacity measured via Timed Up and Go test (TUG) after resistance exercise training.

  The assessment will be conducted 2 weeks and 48 hours before and after the 12-week intervention

• Change in muscle strength measured via 1RM strength tests after resistance exercise training.

  The assessment will be conducted 2 weeks and 48 hours before surgery and after the 12-week intervention

Study Arms (2)

(P)rehabilitation Group

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants assigned to the (p)rehabilitation group will perform a supervised Progressive Resistance Exercise Training 2 week program for the whole body three times per week before total hip replacement surgery and for 12 weeks after. In a sub-study, the first 10 participants of (P)rehabilitation group will be included to study the effects of 2 weeks prehabilitation on tissue protein synthesis rates. A two-week deuterium oxide (2H2O or 'heavy water') loading protocol will be conducted during the two week before THR surgery to assess diurnal rates of musculoskeletal protein synthesis.

Behavioral: (P)rehabilitation Progresive Resistance Exercise Training; Biological: Prehabilitation Group Deuterated Water

Usual Care Group

OTHER

Participants assigned to the control group will receive the usual therapy, medical monitoring, and educational lectures after surgery. No intervention is planned before total hip replacement surgery. In a sub-study, the first 10 participants of Usual Care group will be included to study the effects of 2 weeks prehabilitation on tissue protein synthesis rates. A two-week deuterium oxide (2H2O or 'heavy water') loading protocol will be conducted during the two week before THR surgery to assess diurnal rates of musculoskeletal protein synthesis.

Biological: Usual Care Group Deuterated Water; Other: Usual Care

Interventions

(P)rehabilitation Progresive Resistance Exercise Training BEHAVIORAL

The (p)rehabilitation intervention program will be based on supervised whole-body RET performed 3 times/week before (2-week) and up to 12 weeks after surgery, with one day in-between sessions. Training will consist of a 10-min warm-up, followed by one warm-up and 4 sets on leg press, leg-extension and leg abductor machines. Upper body exercises (chest press, lat pulldown and horizontal row will be performed with 2 sets of each exercise. During the 2-week training before surgery, the workload will be increased from 70% (week 1) to 80% (week 2) of 1RM (10 repetitions in each set). After surgery, the workload will be increasing from 50% of 1RM to 80% from the last 6 weeks. All the participants included in the per-protocol analysis must complete at least 80% of the training sessions. We will take into consideration the mobility precautions so as not to dislocate the prosthesis (avoid hip flexion of 90 degrees and more; do not perform adduction exercises and hip rotations).

(P)rehabilitation Group

Prehabilitation Group Deuterated Water BIOLOGICAL

In a sub-study, the first 10 participants of the (P)rehabilitation group will be included to study the effects of 2 weeks prehabilitation on tissue protein synthesis rates. A two-week deuterium oxide (2H2O or 'heavy water') loading protocol will be conducted during the two week before THR surgery to assess diurnal rates of musculoskeletal protein synthesis. This 2H2O method enables the assessment of muscle, cartilage and bone tissue protein synthesis rates when tissue samples are collected after the 2 weeks of prehabilitation.

(P)rehabilitation Group

Usual Care Group Deuterated Water BIOLOGICAL

In a sub-study, the first 10 participants of the Usual Care group will be included to study the effects of 2 weeks prehabilitation on tissue protein synthesis rates. A two-week deuterium oxide (2H2O or 'heavy water') loading protocol will be conducted during the two week before THR surgery to assess diurnal rates of musculoskeletal protein synthesis. This 2H2O method enables the assessment of muscle, cartilage and bone tissue protein synthesis rates when tissue samples are collected after the 2 weeks of usual care.

Usual Care Group

Usual Care OTHER

Participants assigned to the usual care group will receive the usual therapy, medical monitoring, and educational lectures after surgery. No intervention is planned before total hip replacement surgery. The patient is hospitalized for surgery. At hospital discharge, the usual care group will start with standard rehabilitation (sessions: 1st month, 2-3x/week, 2nd month 1-2x/week and 3rd month 1x/month) based on mobility and strength exercises without using progressive RET with machines until 3 months after surgery.

Usual Care Group

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 60 Years+
• Gender Eligibility Details: Taken into consideration the sex distribution of patients undergoing THR surgery (i.e., more women than men), we aim to include a minimum of 18 women per group.
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Individuals aged from 60 y and over.
• \< BMI \< 40 kg/m2.
• Individuals on waiting list to undergo a unilateral elective surgery for Total Hip Replacement due to primary severe Osteoarthritis.

You may not qualify if:

• Individuals with severe OA in the contralateral hip.
• Individuals who has been performing regular RET (2 or more times per week) in the previous 6 months.
• Individuals who smoke.
• Significant psychiatric or neurological disorders, with the use of acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, and untreated mood disorders or depressive pathology.
• Neuromuscular or mobility disorders that prevent safe resistance training (debilitating arthritis, spasticity/rigidity, and paralysis), along with untreated metabolic disorders (such as uncontrolled systemic hypertension).

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Universidad de La Frontera: lead

Study Sites (1)

Universidad de La Frontera

Temuco, Cautin, 4780000, Chile

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Osteoarthritis, Hip

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Osteoarthritis; Arthritis; Joint Diseases; Musculoskeletal Diseases; Rheumatic Diseases

Central Study Contacts

Gabriel N Marzuca Nassr, PhD

CONTACT

+56996343630; gabriel.marzuca@ufrontera.cl

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: DOUBLE
• Who Masked: CARE PROVIDER, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Masking Details: The physiotherapist performing the assessments will be blind to the intervention. The blinding will extend to the data analysis team.
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Principal Investigator

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: June 17, 2025
• First Posted: July 2, 2025
• Study Start: August 1, 2025
• Primary Completion (Estimated): December 1, 2028
• Study Completion (Estimated): March 1, 2029
• Last Updated: July 2, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-06

Locations

CL (1)