Here are five points on ACL repair.
1. Correlation between ACL surgery and knee arthritis. On average, 200,000 people suffer ACL tears each year, and 60-80 percent of these people develop arthritis in their knees within 10 years, according to a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette report. Athletes are more likely to suffer ACL tears, and females are more likely than males to experience an ACL tear. Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center are examining the correlation between ACL surgery and arthritis of the knee.
For young athletes, experiencing an ACL tear during high school or middle school sports means developing arthritis in the knee before the age of 30. New developments in ACL repair techniques and implants with the patient's specific anatomy in mind aims to promote a more normal knee function and decrease the number of patients who suffer from arthritis. Performing double-bundle ACL reconstructive surgery can be a more anatomically correct procedure than the single bundle.
2. Platelet-rich plasma injections. Platelet-rich plasma can enhance ACL cell viability and function in vitro, according to a study published in The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery. Researchers found that the concentration of the main growth factors were higher in the platelet-rich clot than the platelet-poor clot. The in vitro treatment of ACL cells with platelet-rich clot releasate resulted in a significant increase in cell number, and the total collagen production by the platelet-rich clot releasate-treated cells was significantly higher because of the enhanced cell proliferation.
3. KAM status predicts risk of ACL injury in female athletes. Researchers tested 100 female athletes using laboratory-based measures, including the KAM status report. They found that clinically obtainable measures of increased knee valgus, knee flexion range of motion, body mass, tibia length and quadriceps-to-hamstrings ratio predict high KAM status in female athletes. The authors of the study, published in The American Journal of Sports Medicine, recommend physicians use the results of the KAM status to facilitate interventions for high-risk athletes.
4. Hamstring tendon grafts better than knee tendon grafts. Patients receiving ACL knee reconstruction with a hamstring tendon graft instead of a knee tendon graft were less likely to suffer from pain and mobility issues 15 years after surgery, according to a study presented at the 2011 American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine's Specialty Day in San Diego. The study examined 180 knee reconstruction patients. Ninety patients received a patellar tendon graft and the other 90 received a hamstring tendon graft.
Seventy-seven percent of the HT patients who reported at the follow-up were able to perform strenuous activities, compared to the 62 percent of patients in the PT group who reported at the follow-up. The evaluation for pain when kneeling showed that 42 percent of the PT group reported moderate or greater pain, compared to 26 percent of the HT Group. The PT group also showed worse outcomes in tests for motion loss and osteoarthritis.
5. ACL and its individual bundle attachment centers on the tibia and femur. Quantification of the ACL and its bundle attachments was performed on 11 cadaveric knees using a radiofrequency tracking device, and researchers found that the tibial ACL attachment center was 7.5 mm medial to the anterior horn of the lateral meniscus, 13 mm anterior to the retro-eminence ridge and 10.5 mm posterior to the ACL ridge. The tibial PL bundle attachment center was 6.6 mm medial to posteromedial aspect of the lateral meniscus anterior horn, 10.8 mm anteromedial to the root attachment of the lateral meniscus posterior horn and 8.4 mm anterior to the retro-eminence ridge. The researchers developed a comprehensive compilation of measurements of arthroscopically pertinent bony and soft tissue landmarks that show the center of the bundle attachment on the tibia and the femur. The study was published in The American Journal of Sports Medicine.
Read other coverage on sports medicine:
- 8 Studies Influence Youth Sports Medicine
- 10 New Studies Impacting Sports Medicine
1. Correlation between ACL surgery and knee arthritis. On average, 200,000 people suffer ACL tears each year, and 60-80 percent of these people develop arthritis in their knees within 10 years, according to a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette report. Athletes are more likely to suffer ACL tears, and females are more likely than males to experience an ACL tear. Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center are examining the correlation between ACL surgery and arthritis of the knee.
For young athletes, experiencing an ACL tear during high school or middle school sports means developing arthritis in the knee before the age of 30. New developments in ACL repair techniques and implants with the patient's specific anatomy in mind aims to promote a more normal knee function and decrease the number of patients who suffer from arthritis. Performing double-bundle ACL reconstructive surgery can be a more anatomically correct procedure than the single bundle.
2. Platelet-rich plasma injections. Platelet-rich plasma can enhance ACL cell viability and function in vitro, according to a study published in The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery. Researchers found that the concentration of the main growth factors were higher in the platelet-rich clot than the platelet-poor clot. The in vitro treatment of ACL cells with platelet-rich clot releasate resulted in a significant increase in cell number, and the total collagen production by the platelet-rich clot releasate-treated cells was significantly higher because of the enhanced cell proliferation.
3. KAM status predicts risk of ACL injury in female athletes. Researchers tested 100 female athletes using laboratory-based measures, including the KAM status report. They found that clinically obtainable measures of increased knee valgus, knee flexion range of motion, body mass, tibia length and quadriceps-to-hamstrings ratio predict high KAM status in female athletes. The authors of the study, published in The American Journal of Sports Medicine, recommend physicians use the results of the KAM status to facilitate interventions for high-risk athletes.
4. Hamstring tendon grafts better than knee tendon grafts. Patients receiving ACL knee reconstruction with a hamstring tendon graft instead of a knee tendon graft were less likely to suffer from pain and mobility issues 15 years after surgery, according to a study presented at the 2011 American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine's Specialty Day in San Diego. The study examined 180 knee reconstruction patients. Ninety patients received a patellar tendon graft and the other 90 received a hamstring tendon graft.
Seventy-seven percent of the HT patients who reported at the follow-up were able to perform strenuous activities, compared to the 62 percent of patients in the PT group who reported at the follow-up. The evaluation for pain when kneeling showed that 42 percent of the PT group reported moderate or greater pain, compared to 26 percent of the HT Group. The PT group also showed worse outcomes in tests for motion loss and osteoarthritis.
5. ACL and its individual bundle attachment centers on the tibia and femur. Quantification of the ACL and its bundle attachments was performed on 11 cadaveric knees using a radiofrequency tracking device, and researchers found that the tibial ACL attachment center was 7.5 mm medial to the anterior horn of the lateral meniscus, 13 mm anterior to the retro-eminence ridge and 10.5 mm posterior to the ACL ridge. The tibial PL bundle attachment center was 6.6 mm medial to posteromedial aspect of the lateral meniscus anterior horn, 10.8 mm anteromedial to the root attachment of the lateral meniscus posterior horn and 8.4 mm anterior to the retro-eminence ridge. The researchers developed a comprehensive compilation of measurements of arthroscopically pertinent bony and soft tissue landmarks that show the center of the bundle attachment on the tibia and the femur. The study was published in The American Journal of Sports Medicine.
Read other coverage on sports medicine:
- 8 Studies Influence Youth Sports Medicine
- 10 New Studies Impacting Sports Medicine