A mixed methods feasibility study of a gait rehabilitation programme for people with early rheumatoid arthritis and foot pain

Background Foot pain, a hallmark feature of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), is associated with slow and unsteady gait patterns, and persistent walking disability is common. Great Strides is a new gait rehabilitation programme designed to improve/preserve lower limb function in early RA. It is delivered by physiotherapists or podiatrists over 12-weeks and is supplemented with a home programme and support materials (DVD and illustrated booklet). It consists of a 6-task gait circuit and is underpinned by behaviour change techniques driven by motivational interviewing. The aims of this feasibility study were to 1) evaluate patient acceptability, adherence to, and safety of Great Strides, and 2) identify a suitable primary outcome measure for the main trial. Methods This study was a multi-centre (n = 3), single arm, repeated measures (pre- and post-intervention) design, with interviews exploring participants’ intervention perceptions. People with early (