Profiling of abnormal knee joint loading to reduce risk of posttraumatic Knee Osteoarthritis following Anterior Cruciate Ligament reconstruction.

Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injuries, are of particular concern to the young and active part of our population as about 50% of patients with ACL injury can expect to suffer from premature cartilage degeneration (osteoarthritis-OA) within 10 years after the injury. The primary cause of this cartilage degeneration is believed to be the many repetitions of pathological loading on the musculoskeletal structures (knee joint pathomechanics-KJPM) during everyday activities. However, the underlying mechanisms of KJPM associated with knee trauma and their changes over time still need to be explored. This is crucial with the aim of preventing post traumatic OA (PTOA). With state-of-the art imaging and motion capture methods, we will first construct a comprehensive and longitudinal joint (cartilage) loading profile of those patients and determine the (proxy)factors leading to pathological force distributions. We will then utilize that knowledge to develop and provide proof of concept for a rehabilitation intervention with real-time feedback on the knee loading proxies adapted to the specific needs of each individual patient. This project is the first step to unravel the factors leading to early OA development. Ultimately this will allow us to optimize ACL and knee injury rehabilitation programs such that not just return to an active lifestyle is achieved in the short term, but also early onset of OA is prevented in the long term.