KNEE ARTHRITIS - General principles of managing Osteoarthritis of the knee :

Osteoarthritis after ACL reconstruction - - Posted by Chrisbo (Chrisbo), 1 February 2003

Hi  

I have had a ACL reconstruction with no tear to the meniscus 3 years ago.  I have been told by a questionable source that I am at a risk of developing osteoarthritis within the next 10 years.  My understanding of oesteoarthritis is that it is caused by the degeneration of the meniscus.  I am only 18 now and have been told that i can not proceed on my chosen career track because of this "chance" of developing osteoarthritis.  I am currently appealing this decision.

Is the fact that I had ACL reconstruction really a factor in me developing osteoarthritis before the age of 30?

If so what are the chances?

Also any help would be very much appreciated.

Thanking you,

Chris  
Posted by PaulUKBrit (PaulUKBrit), 1 February 2003

The chances of developing osteoarthritis rise dramatically after serious damage to the ACL.
I myself snapped my ACL in my left knee in 1994 when i was 16, i never had the reconstruction till 1997, today the reconstructed ligament is still strong and intact, but i have a degeneration of the Articular cartilage on the top of the 'Tibia', it clicks and clunks when i straighten my leg, im due to go in for an arthroscopy next month to explore the possibility of me receiving a relativley new treatment for Articular cartilage defects called 'ACI'.
So unfortunatley your risk of osteoarthritis is greater due to the previous trauma your knee has been through.
Good Luck.

Posted by oneillii (oneillii), 1 February 2003

Hi Paul

Just wanted to give you a bit of information from here in the US...

Apparently UCSF (University of California at San Francisco) has been approved for clinical trials for a new type of articular cartilage replacement/repair...Not sure exactly of what it entails, but you might do a search and get some useful info (in case the ACI is not an option for you).

Susan
Posted by PaulUKBrit (PaulUKBrit), 2 February 2003

Hi Susan,
Thank you very much for the help and advice!, i checked that out and it was informative.
Best of luck to you and take care.

Paul
Posted by jjg (jjg), 10 February 2003

Hi,

I had an left ACL reconstruction in 1983 with a meniscus repair. I have had arthritis slowly set in over time and will probably need a knee replacement.

That said, the my osteo told me that the longer you wait for a reconstruction the more wear and tear there is on the joint (I waited 4 years after the initial tear) and therefore the higher the risk of arthritis.The good news is that the whole stabilizes with a good reconstruction so the process slows dramatically. While I have a lot of arthritis (the knee is obviously large) I have virtually no pain, just limited range of motion.

I am new to this group and would appreciate it if anyone can point me to treatments for knee arthritis that permit high levels of sports activity afterwards. In particular, are there stopgap measures for keeping a TKR at bay?

Thanks!!

This old Forum was so valuable that we have kept it as an archive. It is just for reference. If you want to ask questions or offer advice, there is also a current Bulletin Board which you can access from our home page.

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