Michelle Hall

• PhD, MSc, BSc (Hons)
• The University of Sydney

Background Depending on how clinicians label and explain hip pain, patients may form different beliefs about hip pain and its management. When clinicians describe hip pain as a problem of passive “wear and tear,” patients may be more likely to believe that surgery is needed to “fix” hip pain than if it were explained as a dynamic, whole-joint condi...

Altered hip loading and biomechanics in individuals with femoracetabular impingement syndrome (FAIS) may affect the joint’s habitual mechanical environment, potentially increasing the risk of osteoarthritis onset. Examining differences in contributions of muscle and external loads (i.e., gravitational and intersegmental–inertial forces) to hip cont...

Background Although X-rays are not recommended for routine diagnosis of osteoarthritis (OA), clinicians and patients often use or expect X-rays. We evaluated whether: (i) a radiographic diagnosis and explanation of knee OA influences patient beliefs about management, compared to a clinical diagnosis and explanation that does not involve X-rays; and...

Objective We determine whether there is a relationship between the number of different lower‐limb resistance exercises prescribed in a program and outcomes for people with knee osteoarthritis. Methods We used a systematic review with meta‐regression. We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, MEDLINE, and Embase up to January...

Esta ponencia es una actualización a la declaración de consenso existente y tiene como meta a todos los profesionales de la salud que manejan personas con osteoartritis de rodilla o cadera. Sintetiza la evidencia más reciente para el ejercicio en estos pacientes, enfocándose en pautas clínicas y revisiones sistemáticas; además, ofrece guía para los...

Introduction We compared the 12-months effects of arthroscopic surgery and physiotherapist-led care for femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) syndrome on the time-varying magnitude of hip contact force and muscle contributions to hip contact force during walking. Methods Secondary analysis was performed on thirty-seven individuals with FAI syndrome w...

Background: Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a major public health issue causing chronic pain, impaired physical function, and reduced quality of life. As there is no cure, self-management of symptoms via exercise is recommended by all current international clinical guidelines. This review updates one published in 2015. Objectives: We aimed to assess...

Objective We wanted to determine if higher compliance with American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) exercise prescription guidelines influences exercise outcomes in knee osteoarthritis (OA). Methods We conducted a systematic review. We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, MEDLINE, and Embase up to January 4, 2024, for ran...

Background Femoroacetabular impingement syndrome (FAIS) can cause hip pain and chondrolabral damage that may be managed non-operatively or surgically. Squatting motions require large degrees of hip flexion and underpin many daily and sporting tasks but may cause hip impingement and provoke pain. Differential effects of physiotherapist-led care and...

Objective The purpose of this study was to determine dose parameters for resistance exercise associated with improvements in pain and physical function in knee and hip osteoarthritis (OA) and whether these improvements were related to adherence. Methods We searched six databases, from inception to January 28, 2023, for randomized controlled trials...

Background Hip osteoarthritis (OA) is a leading cause of chronic pain and disability worldwide. Self-management is vital with education, exercise and weight loss core recommended treatments. However, evidence-practice gaps exist, and service models that increase patient accessibility to clinicians who can support lifestyle management are needed. Th...

Background One mechanism by which exercise interventions may be effective in reducing anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury risk is through changes in lower limb biomechanics. Understanding how training programmes affect lower-limb kinematics and kinetics may help refine injury prevention programmes. Objective The aim of this systematic review a...

Poor sleep is thought to enhance pain via increasing peripheral and/or central sensitization. Aerobic exercise, conversely, relives pain via reducing sensitization, among other mechanisms. This raises two clinical questions: (1) does poor sleep contribute to the transition from acute-to-persistent pain, and (2) can exercise protect against this tra...

Biomechanics as a discipline is ideally placed to increase awareness and participation of girls and women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. A nationwide Biomechanics and Research Innovation Challenge (BRInC) centered on mentoring and role modeling was developed to engage high school girls (mentees) and early-mid-career women (me...

Background Hip osteoarthritis (OA) is a leading global cause of chronic pain and disability. Given there is no cure for OA, patient self management is vital with education and exercise being core recommended treatments. However, there is under-utilisation of these treatments due to a range of clinician and patient factors. Innovative service models...

OBJECTIVES: To compare the effects of diagnostic labels and their explanations on people’s beliefs about managing hip pain. DESIGN: Online randomized controlled trial involving 626 participants. METHODS: Participants aged ≥45 years with and without hip pain considered a hypothetical scenario (initial doctor consultation for hip pain). They were ran...

Introduction To explore physiotherapist and patient experiences with, and acceptability of, a 12‐week physiotherapist‐guided combined strength and aerobic physical activity exercise programme for hip osteoarthritis (OA). Methods A qualitative study using semi‐structured interviews with 13 people with hip OA and four physiotherapists. Patients unde...

Osteoarthritis (OA) affects 240 million people worldwide. Neuroimaging has been increasingly used to investigate brain changes in OA, however, there is considerable heterogeneity in reported results. The goal of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to synthesise existing literature and identify consistent brain alterations in OA. Six databa...

Background: Hip osteoarthritis (OA) is a leading global cause of chronic pain and disability. Given there is no cure for OA, patient self management is vital with education and exercise being core recommended treatments. However, there is under-utilisation of these treatments due to a range of clinician and patient factors. Innovative service model...

Background: Hip osteoarthritis (OA) is a leading cause of chronic pain and disability worldwide. Self-management is vital with education, exercise and weight loss core recommended treatments. However, evidence-practice gaps exist, and service models that increase patient accessibility to clinicians who can support lifestyle management are needed....

Background Early- and mid-career academics in medicine, dentistry and health sciences are integral to research, education and advancement of clinical professions, yet experience significant illbeing, high attrition and limited advancement opportunities. Objectives Identify and synthesise published research investigating challenges and opportunitie...

Objectives: Using a case vignette of an adult (George) presenting with hip pain consistent with hip OA, this study aimed to describe: (a) whether physiotherapists make diagnoses and identify bodily structures using either patient history and/or physical examination findings; (b) which diagnoses and bodily structures physiotherapists attribute to t...

This 'Year in Review' provides a synopsis of key research themes and individual studies from the clinical osteoarthritis (OA) field, focused on epidemiology and therapy. The electronic database search for the review was adapted from the 2021 year in review search, to increase search specificity for relevant study designs, and was conducted in Medli...

Objective To compare the perceptions of patients about why they did, or did not, respond to a physical therapist–supported exercise and physical activity program. Methods This was a qualitative study within a randomized controlled trial. Twenty‐six participants (of 40 invited) with knee osteoarthritis sampled according to response (n = 12 responde...

OBJECTIVE: Compare the effects of osteoarthritis information, with or without pathoanatomical content, on people's beliefs about managing osteoarthritis. DESIGN: Online randomized controlled trial involving 556 participants. METHODS: Participants considered a hypothetical scenario where their doctor informed them that they had knee osteoarthritis....

Background Knee osteoarthritis progression may be related to altered knee loads, particularly in those with varus malalignment. Using randomized controlled trial data, this secondary analysis of complete datasets (n = 67) compared the effects of a functional weightbearing (WB) and non-weightbearing quadriceps strengthening exercise (NWB) program on...

Objective: To evaluate effects of general osteoarthritis (OA) information in addition to a treatment option grid and general practitioner (GP) recommendation to exercise on treatment beliefs and intentions. Methods: An online randomized trial of 735 people 45 years old or older without OA who were recruited from a consumer survey network. Partic...

This Position Statement is an update to the existing statement. It is intended for all health practitioners who manage people with hip/knee osteoarthritis (OA). It synthesises the most recent evidence (with a focus on clinical guidelines and systematic reviews) for exercise in people with hip/knee OA, and provides guidance to practitioners about ho...

Objective Nonsurgical interventions are recommended for osteoarthritis (OA). However, how interventions change pain and physical function is unclear. Therefore, the objectives of this scoping review were to 1) identify what potential mediators of nonsurgical interventions on pain and physical function have been evaluated and 2) summarize the findin...

To enhance patient-centred care of people with hip pain, we need a comprehensive understanding of peoples' beliefs about their hip pain. This systematic review explored the beliefs and expectations of middle-aged and older adults about chronic hip pain and its care across different healthcare settings and contexts. This review was a synthesis of qu...

Background Femoroacetabular impingement syndrome is characterized by chondrolabral damage and hip pain. The specific biomechanics used by people with femoroacetabular impingement syndrome during daily activities may exacerbate their symptoms. Femoroacetabular impingement syndrome can be treated nonoperatively or surgically; however, differential tr...

Background Muscle weakness is characteristic of knee osteoarthritis. Muscle steadiness may be an important adjunct to knee muscle strength in improving physical function in knee osteoarthritis. However, the role of muscle steadiness is uncertain. Aims To determine the associations of knee extensor muscle steadiness with maximal voluntary torque an...

RQ1) What are the characteristics of studies about this topic? RQ2) What instruments have been used to investigate this topic? RQ3) What are the reported experiences and perceptions in the included studies?

Background Previous investigations on valgus knee bracing have mostly used the external knee adduction moment. This is a critical limitation, as the external knee adduction moment does not account for muscle forces that contribute substantially to the medial tibiofemoral contact force (MTCF) during walking. The aims of this pilot study were to: 1)...

Objective To compare the effect of stable supportive to flat flexible walking shoes on medial tibiofemoral contact force (MTCF) in people with medial knee osteoarthritis and varus malalignment. Design This was a randomized cross-over study. Twenty-eight participants aged ≥50 years with medial knee osteoarthritis and varus malalignment were recruit...

Purpose: The magnitude and location of hip contact force influences the local mechanical environment of the articular tissue, driving remodelling. We used a neuromusculoskeletal model to investigate hip contact force magnitudes and their regional loading patterns on the articular surfaces in those with femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) syndrome an...

Purpose: To test the hypothesis that common weightbearing exercises generate higher lower-limb muscle forces but do not increase medial tibiofemoral contact force (MTCF) when compared to walking in people with medial knee osteoarthritis and varus malalignment. Methods: Twenty-eight participants aged ≥50 years with medial knee osteoarthritis and...

Objective: To assess the test-retest reliability of submaximal cardiorespiratory fitness in healthy active older adults. Methods: This was a retrospective analysis of 41 adults enrolled in a clinical trial [mean (sd) aged 59 yrs (7); 29% females; and body mass index 24.5 kg/m2 (3.3)]. Cardiorespiratory fitness was assessed using a cycle ergomete...

Background Hip osteoarthritis (OA) is a leading cause of musculoskeletal pain. Exercise is a core recommended treatment. Most evidence is based on muscle-strengthening exercise, but aerobic physical activity has potential to enhance clinical benefits. The primary aim of this study is to test the hypothesis that adding aerobic physical activity to a...

Background Hip osteoarthritis (OA) is a leading cause of musculoskeletal pain. Exercise is a core recommended treatment. Despite some clinical guidelines also recommending weight loss for hip OA, there is no evidence from randomised controlled trials (RCT) to substantiate these recommendations. This superiority, 2-group, parallel RCT will compare a...

Objective To investigate knee contact forces (KCFs), and their relationships with knee pain, across grades of radiographic knee osteoarthritis (OA) severity. Design Cross-sectional exploratory analysis of 164 participants with medial knee OA. Radiographic severity was classified as mild (grade 2), moderate (grade 3) or severe (grade 4) using the K...

Purpose: Quadriceps strength deficits following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) are linked to altered lower extremity biomechanics, tibiofemoral joint (TFJ) space narrowing and cartilage composition changes. It is unknown, however, if quadriceps strength is associated with cartilage volume in the early years following ACLR prior t...

Objective (i) Compare the feasibility of three load modification strategies to immediately increase hip contact force in people with hip osteoarthritis (OA) using real-time visual biofeedback during walking, and (ii) prospectively evaluate changes in pain and physical function following 6-weeks of walking using a prescribed personalised load modifi...

Introduction Chronic hip pain in middle-aged and older adults is common and disabling. Patient-centred care of chronic hip pain requires a comprehensive understanding of how people with chronic hip pain view their health problem and its care. This paper outlines a protocol to synthesise qualitative evidence of middle-aged and older adults' views, b...

Hip and knee osteoarthritis are leading causes of global disability. Most research to date has focused on the knee, with results often extrapolated to the hip, and this extends to treatment recommendations in clinical guidelines. Extrapolating results from research on knee OA may limit our understanding of disease characteristics specific to hip OA...

Background Arthroscopic surgery for femoroacetabular impingement syndrome (FAI) is known to lead to self-reported symptom improvement. In the context of surgical interventions with known contextual effects and no true sham comparator trials, it is important to ascertain outcomes that are less susceptible to placebo effects. The primary aim of this...

Background Patients with knee osteoarthritis can adapt their gait to unload the most painful knee joint in order to try to reduce pain and improve physical function. However, these gait adaptations can cause higher loads on the contralateral joints. The aim of the study was to investigate the interlimb differences in knee and hip frontal plane mome...

Objectives The benefits of exercise are well established for psychological well-being, but it is unknown whether one type of exercise can be recommended over another for psychological well-being in knee osteoarthritis (OA). This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of different types of exercise on psychological well-being in people with knee O...

Objective Determine the feasibility of a 6-month exercise and weight management intervention for people with hip osteoarthritis (OA). Design 18 participants with clinical and radiographic hip OA with a body mass index ≥28 kg/m² and <41 kg/m² participated. Six consultations with a physiotherapist and six consultations with a dietitian via videoconf...

Objective To provide a summary of the translational gaps in musculoskeletal research as identified in the Mine the Gap workshop and propose possible solutions. Methods The Mine the Gap online workshop was hosted on October 14th and 15th, 2020. Five international panels, each comprised of a clinician, clinical researcher and basic scientist, presen...

Objective To evaluate the effects of financial incentives on physical activity (PA). Data Sources MEDLINE, Embase, 7 other databases, and 2 trial registries until July 17, 2019. Study Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria Randomized controlled trials with adults aged ≥18 years assessing the effect of financial incentives on PA. Any comparator was elig...

Background Studies of walking in those with femoroacetabular impingement syndrome have found altered pelvis and hip biomechanics. But a whole body, time-contiuous, assessment of biomechanical parameters has not been reported. Additionally, larger cam morphology has been associated with more pain, faster progression to end-stage osteoarthritis and i...

Background: Gait retraining is advocated for the management of patellofemoral pain. This case series examined changes in lower limb variability following 6-weeks of gait retraining in individuals with patellofemoral pain. Methods: Six runners with patellofemoral pain completed a 6-week physiotherapist-guided gait retraining program using minimal...

Objective Guidelines recommend exercise as a core treatment for knee osteoarthritis. However, it is unclear how exercise affects measures of pain processing and motor function. The aim was to evaluate the effect of exercise on measures of pain processing and motor function in people with knee osteoarthritis. Methods We searched five electronic dat...

Background Arthroscopic partial meniscectomy may cause knee osteoarthritis, which may be related to altered joint loading. Previous research has failed to demonstrate that exercise can reduce medial compartment knee loads following meniscectomy but has not considered muscular loading in their estimates. Research question What is the effect of exer...

Purpose: To examine the effects of increased cadence and minimalist footwear on lower limb variability in runners with patellofemoral pain (PFP). Methods: Fifteen (12 female, 3 male) runners with PFP ran on an instrumented treadmill with 3-dimensional motion capture in three randomly ordered conditions: (i) standard shoe at preferred cadence; (i...

Background: Dynamic postural control during everyday tasks is poorly understood in people following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR). Understanding dynamic postural control can provide insight into potentially modifiable impairments in people following ACLR who are at increased risk for second ACL injury and/or knee osteoarthritis....

This study aimed to evaluate hip joint kinematic variability and segment coordination variability during walking according to pain and radiographic disease severity in people with hip osteoarthritis. Fifty‐five participants with hip osteoarthritis had pain severity assessed during walking using an item on the Western Ontario McMasters Universities...

This study examined whether differences exist in tibial acceleration transients and electromyography (EMG) variables during running across female pubertal development. Sixty-four girls classified as pre- (n = 19), early/mid- (n = 22) and late/post-pubertal development (n = 23) ran in a laboratory whilst EMG data were recorded from quadriceps, hamst...

Our primary objective was to examine external hip joint moments during walking in people with mild radiographic hip osteoarthritis (OA) with and without symptoms and disease-free controls. Three groups were compared (symptomatic with mild radiographic hip OA, n = 12; asymptomatic with mild radiographic hip OA, n = 13; OA-free controls, n = 20). Mea...

Objective: A systematic review and meta-analysis of controlled trials was carried out to examine the effect of behavioural counselling on determinants of behaviour change in adults with chronic, painful musculoskeletal conditions. Methods: Seven databases were searched up to January 2019. Two reviewers independently screened title/abstracts and...

Background: Valgus knee braces have been reported to reduce the external knee adduction moment during walking. However, mechanistic investigations into the effects of valgus bracing on medial compartment contact forces using electromyogram-driven neuromusculoskeletal models are limited. Research question: What are the immediate effects of valgus b...

Objective: To investigate effects of long-term exercise therapy for people with knee osteoarthritis (OA) on radiographic disease severity and cartilage integrity (primary outcomes) as well as severity of bone marrow lesions (BMLs), synovitis and/or effusion (secondary outcomes). Methods: We sourced randomized controlled trials in people with cli...

Background: Walking canes are a self-management strategy recommended for people with knee osteoarthritis (OA) by clinical practice guidelines. Ensuring that an adequate amount of body-weight support (%BWS) is taken through the walking cane is important as this reduces measures of knee joint loading. Research question: 1) How much body weight sup...

Background: Hip osteoarthritis (OA) is a significant cause of disability, with hip pain and reduced external hip moments during walking being key features of the condition. The external hip adduction moment is greater in healthy women than men, however these between-sex differences are not evident in those with end-stage hip OA. Whether sex-specif...

Objectives: The purposes were to (i) determine the effect of diet-only treatments and combined diet and exercise treatments on pain and physical function and (ii) explore the effect of these treatments on inflammatory biomarkers in overweight and obese adults with knee osteoarthritis. Methods: Five electronic databases were searched until March...

Objective: This systematic review and meta-analysis investigated surrogate measures of hip joint loading during walking in people with hip osteoarthritis (OA). Methods: Five databases were searched up to January 14th, 2018. Studies that measured hip joint moments in the frontal or sagittal plane during walking in people with hip OA and used eith...