The Post-Traumatic Osteoarthritis Support Tool (POST): Developing a Smartphone App to Enable Users to Self-Manage Knee Health
Overview:
Osteoarthritis (OA) affects roughly 8.75million people in the UK, and more than half of them have OA in their knees. Knee OA is a source of pain, stiffness, and poor function in everyday life but there is no cure. OA is usually seen as a disease that affects older people, but there is emerging evidence that people who suffer a knee injury whilst playing sport are at significantly increased risk early in life, as young as their 20s or 30s. For these people, OA symptoms can affect their health and quality of life but there are few treatment options available until their condition worsens. Therefore, this project aims to better understand the experiences of young people with early OA symptoms. It will evaluate their needs and develop a support tool to help them manage their symptoms and provide guidance about seeking appropriate medical care. This tool will help people reduce the impact of early OA symptoms on their quality of life and empower them to make proactive decisions about their physical health and wellbeing. This will improve their care and help reduce costs to the NHS.
Aims and Objectives:
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To track the physical activity, lifestyle behaviours, and knee-related symptoms among young people at risk of developing knee osteoarthritis.
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To support young people in the self-management of their knee health through a balanced and personalised approach to physical activity and a healthy lifestyle.
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To understand the impact of knee injury on the wellbeing and quality of life of young adults at risk of developing PTOA.
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To facilitate the sharing of knowledge and information between healthcare practitioners and young people with or at risk of knee osteoarthritis.
Key Findings:
Using the Person-Based Approach, the current project investigated how the content and features of a smartphone app could help young adults manage their knee health following sports-related injury and potentially mitigate adverse outcomes. Participants expressed a desire for a self-management resource, with the capability to provide information, monitor progress, give advice and guidance, and provide peer support. Furthermore, the information needed to be personalised for each user.
Outputs:
- Watkins, R, Young, G, Western, M, Stokes, K and McKay, C. Nobody says to you “come back in six months and we’ll see how you’re doing”: A qualitative interview study exploring young adults’ experiences of sport-related knee injury. BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders 21, 419 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12891-020-03428-6
- Watkins, R, Young, G, Western, M, Stokes, K and McKay, C. “I think we need to empower people to manage it better themselves”: A qualitative interview study exploring UK healthcare practitioners’ perspectives on treating young adults following a sport-related knee injury. Physical Therapy in Sport (2020) https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ptsp.2020.12.022.