In this photo I am doing a trial test using the Zeno Walkway.

Author: Collin Thompson | Major: Biology | Semester: Fall 2024

Researching Hip Osteoarthritis in NWA Through Walking Assessments

My name is Collin Thompson and I am in the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences as a
Biology major. My research mentor is Dr. Abigail Schmitt in the Health, Human Performance,
and Recreation department, and I conducted research over the Fall 2024 semester and plan to
continue in her lab for the Spring 2025 semester. In the future I plan on attending medical
school.

Starting in the Spring semester of 2024, I began working with Dr. Abigail Schmitt in her
MOVE Lab, and in the Summer of 2024, I officially joined her Community Based Walking Project
with my own subtopic of research. My research is focusing on looking at spatiotemporal gait
measures of individuals with Hip Osteoarthritis and how these gait measures compare to the
individual’s overall “Hip disability and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score-12” (HOOS-12) measure.
By having participants walk on a flat, portable mat called a “Zeno Walkway”, I am able to collect
data on their gait velocity, step length, and step times. Furthermore, the HOOS-12 survey is a
survey that asks questions pertaining to the level of pain and dysfunction an individual
experiences as a result of their hip osteoarthritis, and it then gives a score that is reflective of
these measures. For this study, I work with a team of other undergraduate student researchers
to recruit participants from a variety of locations such as on campus sporting events, the public
library, community recreational centers, and senior centers. We first have participants fill out a
consent form followed by a series of health surveys that pre-screen for hip osteoarthritis, and if
they self-report having hip osteoarthritis, they are given the HOOS-12 survey. Following the
surveys, the participants then stand for 30 seconds, walk at a normal pace, and walk at their
fastest pace on the mat to gather data on their spatiotemporal gait measures. In the coming
months, I will be analyzing this data to determine if a correlation exists between HOOS-12
scores and certain gait measures, and if a correlation is found, this could point to the possibility
of gait analyses being able to predict an individual’s level of self-reported hip osteoarthritis pain
and dysfunction.

I connected with Dr. Schmitt through an Honors College event called “Professors and
Pizza on the Patio: Research” in which a panel of research professors gave a quick summary of
what research they do and answered questions from students about how to get involved in
research. Dr. Schmitt was one of the professors at this event, and I was highly interested in the
biomechanics research that she does, so afterwards I talked with her about how to get involved
in her lab.

I was able to choose my topic through a series of meetings with Dr. Schmitt in which we
would brainstorm possible research topics, and then I would go home and review existing
literature on the topics to determine if something was under-researched. Hip osteoarthritis is a
condition of inflammation and degradation of the cartilage and bone surrounding the hip joint
which can cause pain and decreased function of the joint. When this condition was brought up
as a possible research topic, I was immediately interested because I have a few family
members with this condition, and I have seen how debilitating it can be. So, I reviewed the
literature and did not find much exploring a link between HOOS-12 scores and gait measures,
so I decided that this would be my research topic.

So far, I have had a great time conducting this research as I get to interact with a variety
of people in the community while also exploring a topic that I find extremely interesting and
pertinent. Since I am still in the collection phase and not the analysis phase of my research, I
have not determined if any correlations exist yet, but in the next semester I will be finishing this
up and should be able to learn more. Also through this research I have been able to learn how
to be more assertive and confident because I have to approach strangers in public and ask
them to participate in my research.

One challenge that I have faced in my research is that I am conducting a study
concerning a condition that negatively impacts walking and is primarily found in older
populations. However, when recruiting older individuals with clear mobility impairments, I often
get the response “You don’t want my data, I don’t walk very well.” Initially, this response threw
me off and prevented a lot of people from participating. However, I eventually came up with a
response that involves further informing them without pressuring them by explaining that I am
researching populations with mobility impairments. We have also developed flyers that we
eventually plan to hand out that clarify this further, and we are now targeting recruitment
locations that tend to have a higher population of individuals with these conditions.
Dr. Schmitt has been a great help through the brainstorming process as well as by
teaching me how to use the equipment and software that is needed for this project. She also
has a bi-weekly meeting with us lab members to ensure that any concerns we have are
addressed and to help us stay on track with our projects. She has also helped me troubleshoot
issues with recruitment, as it has proven difficult to find an adequate number of participants with
hip osteoarthritis.

In the coming semester, I will be wrapping up data collections, and then I will move on to
the next phase which involves processing the data and finding possible correlations between
HOOS-12 scores and spatiotemporal gait measures of the participants. Finally, I will write my
Senior Honors Thesis and present my research to my research committee.