Does MRI add value in general practice for patients with traumatic knee complaints? A 1-year randomised controlled trial.

Objective: To determine whether referral to MRI by the general practitioner (GP) is non-inferior to usual care (no access to MRI by GPs) in patients with traumatic knee complaints regarding knee-related daily function.

Methods: This was a multicentre, non-inferiority randomised controlled trial with 1-year follow-up. GPs invited eligible patients during or after their consultation.

Intra-articular Injections of Platelet-Rich Plasma Releasate Reduce Pain and Synovial Inflammation in a Mouse Model of Osteoarthritis.

Background: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative joint disease leading to pain and disability for which no curative treatment exists. A promising biological treatment for OA is intra-articular administration of platelet-rich plasma (PRP). PRP injections in OA joints can relieve pain, although the exact working mechanism is unclear.

Preventing running-related injuries using evidence-based online advice: the design of a randomised-controlled trial.

Introduction: Running-related injuries (RRIs) are frequent and can lead to cessation of health promoting activities. Several risk factors for RRIs have been identified. However, no successful injury prevention programme has been developed so far.

Pre-Treatment of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells With Inflammatory Factors or Hypoxia Does Not Influence Migration to Osteoarthritic Cartilage and Synovium.

Background: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are promising candidates as a cell-based therapy for osteoarthritis (OA), although current results are modest. Pre-treatment of MSCs before application might improve their therapeutic efficacy.

Hypothesis: Pre-treatment of MSCs with inflammatory factors or hypoxia will improve their migration and adhesion capacities toward OA-affected tissues.

Knee osteoarthritis in traumatic knee symptoms in general practice: 6-year cohort study.

Aim: To identify degenerative knee abnormalities using MRI and radiography 6 years after knee trauma, their relation with persistent knee symptoms and baseline prognostic factors.

Methods: Adults (18-65 years) with incident traumatic knee symptoms visiting their general practitioner were followed up for 6 years and underwent baseline MRI and 6-year follow-up MRI and radiography. Logistic regression was used to analyse associations between various degenerative abnormalities on 6-year MRI and radiography, persistent knee symptoms and baseline prognostic factors for knee osteoarthritis (OA) on 6-year MRI.

How does lower leg alignment differ between soccer players, other athletes, and non-athletic controls?

Purpose: The influence of type and intensity of sports during growth on knee alignment was investigated. The second aim was to ascertain whether the distal femur or proximal tibia contribute most to knee alignment. Also, the influence of field position and leg dominancy on knee alignment in soccer players was audited.

Comparison of Mini-Midvastus and Conventional Total Knee Arthroplasty with Clinical and Radiographic Evaluation: A Prospective Randomized Clinical Trial with 5-Year Follow-up.

Background: The main objective of this prospective randomized study was to compare the clinical and radiographic outcomes of the mini-midvastus (MMV) approach with the conventional approach for total knee arthroplasty at the 5-year follow-up.

Methods: Ninety-seven patients (100 knees) with osteoarthritis were assigned to the MMV group or to a group receiving conventional total knee arthroplasty. Intraoperative and postoperative clinical data were collected.

Structural Abnormalities on Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Patients With Patellofemoral Pain: A Cross-sectional Case-Control Study.

Background: Structural abnormalities of the patellofemoral joint might play a role in the pathogenesis of patellofemoral pain (PFP), a common knee problem among young and physically active individuals. No previous study has investigated if PFP is associated with structural abnormalities of the patellofemoral joint using high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Purpose: To investigate the presence of structural abnormalities of the patellofemoral joint on high-resolution MRI in patients with PFP compared with healthy control subjects.

Strength Measurements in Acute Hamstring Injuries: Intertester Reliability and Prognostic Value of Handheld Dynamometry.

Study Design Cohort study, repeated measures. Background Although hamstring strength measurements are used for assessing prognosis and monitoring recovery after hamstring injury, their actual clinical relevance has not been established. Handheld dynamometry (HHD) is a commonly used method of measuring muscle strength.

Degenerative Changes in the Knee 2 Years After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Rupture and Related Risk Factors: A Prospective Observational Follow-up Study.

Background: Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture is a well-known risk factor for development of knee osteoarthritis. Early identification of those patients at risk and early identification of the process of ACL rupture leading to osteoarthritis may aid in preventing the onset or progression of osteoarthritis.

Purpose: To identify early degenerative changes as assessed on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) after 2-year follow-up in patients with a recent ACL rupture and to evaluate which determinants are related to these changes.

No Difference on Quantitative Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Patellofemoral Cartilage Composition Between Patients With Patellofemoral Pain and Healthy Controls.

Background: Retropatellar cartilage damage has been suggested as an etiological factor for patellofemoral pain (PFP), a common knee condition among young and physically active individuals. To date, there is no conclusive evidence for an association between cartilage defects and PFP. Nowadays, advanced quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques enable estimation of cartilage composition.

Six-year course and prognosis of traumatic knee symptoms in general practice: Cohort study.

Background: Traumatic knee symptoms are frequently seen, however, evidence about the course and prognostic factors are scarce.

Objectives: To describe the one and six-year course of traumatic knee symptoms presenting in general practice, and to identify prognostic factors for persistent knee symptoms.

Methods: Adolescents (≥12 years) and adults with traumatic knee symptoms (n = 328) from general practice were followed for six years with self-report questionnaires and physical examination.

Is T1ρ Mapping an Alternative to Delayed Gadolinium-enhanced MR Imaging of Cartilage in the Assessment of Sulphated Glycosaminoglycan Content in Human Osteoarthritic Knees? An in Vivo Validation Study.

Purpose: To determine if T1ρ mapping can be used as an alternative to delayed gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging of cartilage (dGEMRIC) in the quantification of cartilage biochemical composition in vivo in human knees with osteoarthritis.

Materials And Methods: This study was approved by the institutional review board. Written informed consent was obtained from all participants.

The Tendon Structure Returns to Asymptomatic Values in Nonoperatively Treated Achilles Tendinopathy but Is Not Associated With Symptoms: A Prospective Study.

Background: Tendinopathy is characterized by alterations in the tendon structure, but there are conflicting results on the potential of tendon structure normalization and no large studies on the quantified, ultrasonographic tendon structure and its association with symptoms.

Purpose: To determine whether the tendon structure returns to values of asymptomatic individuals after treatment with 2 substances injected within the tendon, to assess the association between the tendon structure and symptoms, and to assess the prognostic value of the baseline tendon structure on treatment response.

Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 2.

Rationale, secondary outcome scores and 1-year follow-up of a randomised trial of platelet-rich plasma injections in acute hamstring muscle injury: the Dutch Hamstring Injection Therapy study.

Background: Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections are an experimental treatment for acute muscle injuries. We examined whether PRP injections would accelerate return to play after hamstring injury. The methods and the primary outcome measure were published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) as 'Platelet-rich plasma injections in acute muscle injury' (2014).

Knee instability in patients with traumatic knee disorders: a cohort study in primary care.

Background: There is a lack of knowledge about the course of knee instability in patients with traumatic knee disorders.

Objective: The aim of the study was to determine the course of traumatic knee instability during 1-year follow-up and to observe the treatment of knee instability by GPs.

Methods: Patients (n = 134) aged 18-65 years with traumatic knee disorders who consulted their GP within 5 weeks after trauma were enrolled in a prospective cohort study.

Which determinants predict tibiofemoral and patellofemoral osteoarthritis after anterior cruciate ligament injury? A systematic review.

Background: Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury is an important risk factor for development of knee osteoarthritis (OA). To identify those ACL injured patients at increased risk for knee OA, it is necessary to understand risk factors for OA.

Aim: To summarise the evidence for determinants of (1) tibiofemoral OA and (2) patellofemoral OA in ACL injured patients.

Braces and orthoses for treating osteoarthritis of the knee.

Background: Individuals with osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee can be treated with a knee brace or a foot/ankle orthosis. The main purpose of these aids is to reduce pain, improve physical function and, possibly, slow disease progression. This is the second update of the original review published in Issue 1, 2005, and first updated in 2007.

No association between fibrosis on magnetic resonance imaging at return to play and hamstring reinjury risk.

Background: Connective tissue scar (fibrosis) is a common finding on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) after recovery from acute hamstring injuries. Fibrosis has been suggested as a predisposing factor for reinjury, but evidence from clinical studies is lacking.

Purpose/hypothesis: The aim of this study was to examine the association between the presence of fibrosis on MRI at return to play after an acute hamstring injury and the risk of reinjury.

Finding the right hip implant for patient and surgeon: the Dutch strategy--empowering patients.

We describe the implementation process of hip prostheses selection in the Netherlands. The recent problems with large head metal-on-metal hip prostheses resulted in substantial damage to the surgeons' credibility and reputation in the media. This led to a true sense of urgency among orthopaedic surgeons to increase their activities to secure patient safety.

Can we predict which patients with patellofemoral pain are more likely to benefit from exercise therapy? A secondary exploratory analysis of a randomized controlled trial.

Study Design: Secondary exploratory analysis of a randomized controlled trial comparing supervised exercise therapy to usual care in patients with patellofemoral pain (PFP).

Objective: To explore which patients with PFP are more likely to benefit from exercise therapy.

Background: Patellofemoral pain is a common condition for which exercise therapy is effective in reducing pain and improving function.

Osteostatin-coated porous titanium can improve early bone regeneration of cortical bone defects in rats.

A promising bone graft substitute is porous titanium. Porous titanium, produced by selective laser melting (SLM), can be made as a completely open porous and load-bearing scaffold that facilitates bone regeneration through osteoconduction. In this study, the bone regenerative capacity of porous titanium is improved with a coating of osteostatin, an osteoinductive peptide that consists of the 107-111 domain of the parathyroid hormone (PTH)-related protein (PTHrP), and the effects of this osteostatin coating on bone regeneration were evaluated in vitro and in vivo.

WITHDRAWN: Exercise therapy for patellofemoral pain syndrome.

The review was withdrawn, as of Issue 1, 2015, because it has been superceded by a new Cochrane review: van der Heijden RA, Lankhorst NE, van Linschoten R, Bierma‐Zeinstra SMA, van Middelkoop M. Exercise for treating patellofemoral pain syndrome. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2015, Issue 1.

Osteotomy for treating knee osteoarthritis.

Background: Patients with unicompartmental osteoarthritis of the knee can be treated with an osteotomy. The goal of an osteotomy is to unload the diseased compartment of the knee. This is the second update of the original review published in The Cochrane Library, Issue 1, 2005.