Project 467068

Acromegaly is a chronic endocrine condition characterized by excess secretion of growth hormone (GH), most often due to a non-cancerous tumour of the anterior pituitary gland, and subsequent overproduction of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1). Acromegaly impairs the function of multiple systems within the body leading to numerous complications. A frequent complication of acromegaly is acromegalic arthropathy (AA), which results from GH- and IGF-1-mediated changes to cartilage and soft-tissue within and surrounding a joint. AA progresses during the time that GH and IGF-1 are in excess and is largely irreversible in patients with long-term control of GH and IGF-1 levels. AA adversely affects physical function, psychological well-being, and quality of life. Treatment of AA has been neglected in the literature, and the absence of specific treatment guidelines for AA means that clinicians often resort to osteoarthritis (OA) treatments to manage AA despite notable differences between OA and AA. In order to develop treatments for AA, such as orthoses or physical therapy programs, it is crucial that the postural alignment and body mechanics of patients with acromegaly are clearly defined. Few studies have examined the posture and static balance of patients with acromegaly using gold-standard instrumentation such as motion capture systems and force platforms, and no previous study has combined kinematic motion capture data with kinetic force platform measurements. The proposed study will be a novel kinematic and kinetic analysis of quiet standing in patients with acromegaly with the aim of enhancing the clinical understanding of posture and static balance deficits in this population and informing the future development of treatments to reduce the debilitating effects of AA.