N. Brisson (Berlin, DE)

Julius Wolff Institute, Berlin Institute of Health & Charité

Presenter Of 1 Presentation

Poster Osteoarthritis

P165 - Do ACL Injury Non-copers Have Different Knee Cartilage Thickness Compared to Healthy Controls?

Presentation Topic
Osteoarthritis
Date
13.04.2022
Lecture Time
09:30 - 09:30
Room
Exhibition Foyer
Session Name
7.3 - Poster Viewing / Coffee Break / Exhibition
Session Type
Poster Session
Disclosure
No Significant Commercial Relationship

Abstract

Purpose

After anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury, some individuals (“non-copers”) experience persistent dynamic knee instability. Given the role of altered knee stability in cartilage degeneration, non-copers are likely at increased risk of developing osteoarthritis and thus may benefit from interventions targeting restored knee biomechanics. This work investigated whether knee cartilage thickness was different at baseline and 1-year follow-up between non-copers who underwent a training intervention and healthy controls.

Methods and Materials

Ten non-copers (9 women, age 44.8±9.1 years, BMI 24.7±3.7 kg/m^2) were enrolled 6.3±3.4 months after ACL rupture. Patients met ≥2/3 of these criteria: ≥1 episode of giving way in last 6 months; <85/100 points on Lysholm Knee Score; and limb symmetry index <85% for single leg jump for distance. Following baseline measurements, non-copers completed a 12-week training program comprising lower-limb strengthening exercises and neuromuscular re-education. Fourteen controls (10 women, age 42.6±9.2 years, BMI 24.8±3.0 kg/m^2) without lower-extremity conditions or past injury/surgery were used for comparison. At baseline and 12.3±0.4 months later, knee MRI was performed using a 3D VIBE sequence with water excitation (1.5T, Avanto, Siemens; 0.3125x0.3125x1.5 mm resolution). The weight-bearing tibiofemoral cartilage plates were segmented, and thickness was computed in 16 sub-regions: 3 per femoral condyle (internal, central, external); 5 per tibial condyle (internal, central, external, anterior, posterior). Repeated measures analyses of variance tested the effects of group, time and group*time across outcomes. Post-hoc Tukey tests were used as appropriate (α=0.05).

Results

Post-intervention, 9/10 non-copers no longer experienced knee instability according to initial screening criteria. At both time points, non-copers had thinner cartilage in the central, internal and external lateral tibia compared to controls (Figure 1).

figure_1_final.png

Conclusion

Non-copers had thinner lateral tibial cartilage, which may influence dynamic knee loading and contribute to instability. The intervention may have helped restore natural knee biomechanics and prevent accelerated cartilage loss in non-copers; however, this requires further examination.

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Presenter Of 1 Presentation

Osteoarthritis

P165 - Do ACL Injury Non-copers Have Different Knee Cartilage Thickness Compared to Healthy Controls?

Abstract

Purpose

After anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury, some individuals (“non-copers”) experience persistent dynamic knee instability. Given the role of altered knee stability in cartilage degeneration, non-copers are likely at increased risk of developing osteoarthritis and thus may benefit from interventions targeting restored knee biomechanics. This work investigated whether knee cartilage thickness was different at baseline and 1-year follow-up between non-copers who underwent a training intervention and healthy controls.

Methods and Materials

Ten non-copers (9 women, age 44.8±9.1 years, BMI 24.7±3.7 kg/m^2) were enrolled 6.3±3.4 months after ACL rupture. Patients met ≥2/3 of these criteria: ≥1 episode of giving way in last 6 months; <85/100 points on Lysholm Knee Score; and limb symmetry index <85% for single leg jump for distance. Following baseline measurements, non-copers completed a 12-week training program comprising lower-limb strengthening exercises and neuromuscular re-education. Fourteen controls (10 women, age 42.6±9.2 years, BMI 24.8±3.0 kg/m^2) without lower-extremity conditions or past injury/surgery were used for comparison. At baseline and 12.3±0.4 months later, knee MRI was performed using a 3D VIBE sequence with water excitation (1.5T, Avanto, Siemens; 0.3125x0.3125x1.5 mm resolution). The weight-bearing tibiofemoral cartilage plates were segmented, and thickness was computed in 16 sub-regions: 3 per femoral condyle (internal, central, external); 5 per tibial condyle (internal, central, external, anterior, posterior). Repeated measures analyses of variance tested the effects of group, time and group*time across outcomes. Post-hoc Tukey tests were used as appropriate (α=0.05).

Results

Post-intervention, 9/10 non-copers no longer experienced knee instability according to initial screening criteria. At both time points, non-copers had thinner cartilage in the central, internal and external lateral tibia compared to controls (Figure 1).

figure_1_final.png

Conclusion

Non-copers had thinner lateral tibial cartilage, which may influence dynamic knee loading and contribute to instability. The intervention may have helped restore natural knee biomechanics and prevent accelerated cartilage loss in non-copers; however, this requires further examination.

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