Preventing Osteoarthritis After an Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury: Osteoarthritis Action Alliance Issues Consensus Statement Recommendations
“Preventing Osteoarthritis After an Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury: An Osteoarthritis Action Alliance Consensus Statement” was created by the Osteoarthritis Action Alliance’s Secondary Prevention Task Group and offers clinicians recommendations for a broad approach to reducing the risk of osteoarthritis (OA) after a person has an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury.
“While patients and health care professionals often focus on optimizing short-term outcomes after an ACL injury, there is an urgent need for prevention strategies to reduce the long-term burden of knee OA, says Task Group lead author Jeffrey B. Driban, PhD, ATC, CSCS, a special and scientific staff member in the Division of Rheumatology, Allergy, & Immunology at Tufts Medical Center and associate professor of Medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine.
“The primary goal of prevention for this population is to identify problems at their earliest stages so that interventions can be started to slow or halt the progression toward long-term issues,” adds Driban.
“This is a most definitive statement on OA prevention and care after an ACL injury,” says National Athletic Trainers’ Association President Kathy Dieringer, EdD, LAT, ATC. “As athletic trainers, we are committed to this focus on public health and the future of our aging population. The interdisciplinary approach to the statement’s development ensures collaboration across the health care landscape and an overall commitment to the prevention and treatment of OA.”