Collaborative Research Published

A research study using the facilities at the Institute of Motion Analysis & Research (IMAR) at the TORT Centre has been successfully published. The randomised controlled study conducted by Roberta L Fulton from Ageing & Health, Diabetes and Cardiovascular Medicine, and overseen by a multidisciplinary team from across the School of Medicine, have had their paper “Effect of Vitamin K on vascular health and physical function in older people with vascular disease: a randomised controlled trial” accepted and published by the Journal of Nutrition Health and Aging.

The aim of the study was to examine whether daily supplementation with oral vitamin K could improve vascular health and physical function in older people with established vascular disease. One of the AMTI force plates in the IMAR Gait Lab was used to objectively measure postural sway of subjects before and after receiving a course of oral vitamin K supplement or a placebo. Subjects were asked to stand for 30 seconds with their eyes open and closed while their body sway was recorded.

Left to right: volunteer subjects standing on the AMTI force plate; endothelial function/dilation testing

Whilst the results from the entire study concluded that six months of vitamin K2 supplementation did not improve markers of vascular health or physical function in older patients with vascular disease, it showed an encouraging 10% improvement in postural sway.

Roberta Fulton explained: “Despite the patient group not being selected as being at high falls risk, the 10% improvement in postural sway suggests that vitamin K may indeed have beneficial effects on neuromuscular function and may be able to reduce falls risk. A pilot study to test which dose of oral vitamin K2 (200mcg or 400mcg once daily for 1 year) most improves anteroposterior sway compared to placebo is currently in set-up”.

Professor Rami Abboud, Director at IMAR, added: “This is one of many examples when IMAR’s facilities at the TORT Centre play an important role in a multidisciplinary project. We would encourage others to visit our world-renowned facilities to discuss and explore collaboration as we pride ourselves in being friendly and welcoming whilst providing the best facilities and knowledge in clinical biomechanics, gait, motion, sports and rehabilitation in collaboration with our TORT NHS colleagues”.

If you would like to discuss the research possibilities the facilities available at TORT can offer you please email ortho@dundee.ac.uk

A full list of Services and Equipment can be viewed here >>>