Use of the Contralateral Knee as a Control in the Destabilization of Medial Meniscus Osteoarthritis Rat Model.

Destabilization of the medial meniscus (DMM) induces osteoarthritis (OA) in a rat model, but using the contralateral limb as control is unknown. We examined DMM and obesity in an OA rat model using contralateral limbs as control. Femoral condyles and tibial plateaus were evaluated. No differences were found between knees across diet groups (P=.61) or between surgery scores in diet groups (both P>.49). Thus, contralateral limbs may be a control for short-term (≤4 weeks) studies.