Researchers have found an association between inflammation from knee injuries and a progressive loss of joint lubrication, which may predispose people to arthritis. They have also found a way to quantify how much lubrication is lost following injury.
The results, which appear in the June issue of <<>>, are from a study by <<>>, <<>>, and <<>>.
It is known that injury is a risk factor for osteoarthritis, a common condition that erodes cartilage and primarily affects people later in life, and that putting weight on an injured knee can result in increased friction and cause cartilage damage. But it is not known how changes in lubrication can positively or negatively impact cartilage damage.
"If you injure a joint, or have been injured in the past, it would be useful to have a test that could indicate your level of risk for developing arthritis," says author Gregory D. Jay, MD, PhD, research director in emergency medicine at Rhode Island Hospital and associate professor of emergency medicine and engineering at Brown University. "In this study, we were able to quantify loss of lubrication – which has important implications for preventing osteoarthritis."
Researchers first looked at rabbits with injured knees. They withdrew synovial fluid surrounding the knee cartilage and measured lubricin, a naturally-produced substance that protects the joint from wear. They found that lubricin completely disappeared from the rabbits in three weeks.