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Project

Comparing the knee joint loading profile of early post-traumatic and non-traumatic knee osteoarthritis: towards prevention of progression with more personalized rehabilitation.

Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a leading cause of disability and a source of high societal burden. Developing individualized strategies to prevent progression from the early stage on, is thus of utmost importance. One of the main risk factors for progression is believed to be repetitive (pathological) loading on the joint during everyday activities. However, the underlying mechanistic events and distinct loading profiles in early post-traumatic (PTOA) versus non-traumatic (NTOA) knee OA, as well as their changes over time still need to be explored. With state-of-the art methods, we will construct a comprehensive and longitudinal joint loading profile of early PTOA and NTOA patients and relate the cumulative exposure to this loading profile with structural and symptomatic changes over time. Furthermore, we will provide proof of concept for an individualized rehabilitation intervention with real-time feedback on knee loading. Ultimately this will allow us to optimize early OA management and reduce the progression towards end stage OA.
Date:1 Oct 2021 →  Today
Keywords:Osteoarthritis, Joint loading, Preventive Rehabilitation, Rehabilitation technology
Disciplines:Biomechanics, Physiotherapy, Traumatology