Participants 35 adults (20 females) with knee or hip OA Mean age (± SD): 73.1 years ± 6.4

1. The Effects of Physically Demanding Tasks on Fatigue and Daily Physical Activity in Older Adults with Knee or Hip Osteoarthritis S. Schepens, PhD OTR/L1, A. Lyden, MS1, E. Parkinson1, S.L. Murphy, ScD OTR/L1,2 1University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI; 2Veterans Affairs Ann Arbor Health Care System GRECC, Ann Arbor, MI • Circuit of tasks: • Endurance walk: participants walked laps on a 50’ long path as quickly and safely as they could (picture 1) • Sweeping: participants swept ½c of kitty litter from a tiled floor (6’x9’ area; picture 2) • Simulated grocery shopping: participants arranged weighted items on shelves (picture 3a), and carried a bag loaded with increasing weight while walking a 150’ loop with a door to open and shut (picture 3b) • Home Monitoring • Accelerometer was worn for a 5-day period (picture 4) • Fatigue and pain ratings entered 5x/day • Daily log kept of OA symptoms and PA • Data Analysis • Descriptive statistics calculated to examine sample characteristics over time • Linear mixed modeling (LMM) used to examine PA and fatigue trajectories over 5 days following the physically demanding lab visit • Baseline average PA counts per minute, change in fatigue, and total activity counts accumulated during lab task performance were used as predictor variables for PA and fatigue trajectories for 5 days following the lab visit INTRODUCTION • Though osteoarthritis (OA) interventions focus predominantly on pain reduction, fatigue is emerging as a clinically important symptom • Little is known about the fatigue experience in older adults with OA, making it difficult to address clinically • Objectives • To evaluate the carryover effect of engaging in physically demanding, lab-based tasks on subsequent daily physical activity (PA) and self-reported fatigue in older adults with OA METHODS 4 • Participants • 35 adults (20 females) with knee or hip OA • Mean age (± SD): 73.1 years ± 6.4 • Selection Criteria • Doctor diagnosed knee or hip OA • 65+ years who report fatigue interfering with function for ≥ 3 of the past 7 days • Medically stable with no conditions (other than OA) that cause fatigue or interfere with activity • Ambulatory • Cognitively intact 1 2 DISCUSSION & CONCLUSIONS • Lab-based, daily life tasks designed to induce fatigue, resulted in increased levels of fatigue on day 1 following performance of the tasks, which then returned to baseline levels in the subsequent 4 days • PA levels over 5 days were not altered following the physically demanding lab visit • Findings indicate that despite subjective reports of increased fatigue resulting from a high PA period, older adults with hip or knee OA may maintain their current levels of PA • Future studies should examine the carryover effects of physically demanding activity on fatigue following an intervention to increase PA in older adults with OA • Given the small sample and large variability in activity levels and fatigue across participants, a larger study is necessary for generalizability • Reference • 1. Cress, E. (1996). Continuous-Scale Physical Functional Performance in Healthy Older Adults: A Validation Study. Arch Phys Med Rehab 77, p1243-50. • Acknowledgements • Dr. Schepens is a postdoctoral fellow supported by an NIH sponsored Medical Rehabilitation Research Training Program RESULTS • Sample characteristics • On average, participants tolerated 62.5±48.3 minutes of the physical lab tasks and accumulated 33,990±25,006 total activity counts • Average fatigue change from beginning to end of task performance was 2.2±1.9 3a 3b • Health Assessment • Self-reported medical history • Physical performance testing: upper and lower extremity strength, functional mobility • Physical Tasks to Induce Fatigue • 15-minute circuits of increasing intensity (5 min per task) • Tasks were adapted from previous research1 • Participants reported fatigue and pain (0-10 scale) every 15 min • The protocol ended when participants stated they could no longer continue without a break • PA was recorded using a wrist-worn accelerometer