ArticleThe Journal of orthopaedic and sports physical therapy2012
Effects of unloading on knee articular cartilage T1rho and T2 magnetic resonance imaging relaxation times: a case series.
Article in The Journal of orthopaedic and sports physical therapy, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 55 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
55 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 119 citations in OpenAlex.
- Muscle strength and osteoarthritis of the knee: a systematic review and meta-analysis of longitudinal studies.Skeletal radiology · 2023Pooled it
- Immediate and Delayed Effects of Joint Loading Activities on Knee and Hip Cartilage: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.Sports medicine - open · 2023Pooled it
- Does Long-Term Lower Extremity Strength Training in Adults With Knee Osteoarthritis and Varus Alignment Reduce Knee Joint Loading During Gait?Arthritis care & research · 2026Trial
- Effects of a progressive aquatic resistance exercise program on the biochemical composition and morphology of cartilage in women with mild knee osteoarthritis: protocol for a randomised controlled trial.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2013Trial
- Acute circulating cartilage-related biomarker responses differ between walking and cycling in healthy young men.European journal of applied physiology · 2026Article
- Effects of the space environment on articular cartilage homeostasis: a review.NPJ microgravity · 2026Review
- Immediate reductions in compressive and shear forces in the knee from gait retraining are associated with slowed cartilage degeneration after 1 year in medial knee osteoarthritis: A retrospective observational cohort study.Osteoarthritis and cartilage · 2026Observational
- Simulated microgravity models sex differences in knee osteoarthritis through a CD36-regulated mechano-metabolic circuit.Cell communication and signaling : CCS · 2026Article
- Exercise-Induced Changes in Knee Cartilage In Vivo: Comparing MRI Sequences.Journal of orthopaedic research : official publication of the Orthopaedic Research Society · 2025Article
- Novel spin-lock time sampling strategies for improved reproducibility in quantitative T1ρ mapping.NMR in biomedicine · 2024Article
- Short-term response of primary human meniscus cells to simulated microgravity.Cell communication and signaling : CCS · 2024Article
- Weightlessness damaged the ultrastructure of knee cartilage and quadriceps muscle, aggravated the degeneration of cartilage.Annals of joint · 2024Article
- Persistent underloading of patellofemoral joint following hamstring autograft ACL reconstruction is associated with cartilage health.Osteoarthritis and cartilage · 2023Article
- Association of physical activity with loss of knee joint space width over two years: a compositional data analysis in the Osteoarthritis Initiative.Osteoarthritis and cartilage · 2023Article
- Bone/cartilage organoid on-chip: Construction strategy and application.Bioactive materials · 2023Review
- Transcriptomic response of bioengineered human cartilage to parabolic flight microgravity is sex-dependent.NPJ microgravity · 2023Article
- Comment on: Khan et al. "The Influence of Running on Lower Limb Cartilage: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis".Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2022Article
- Mechanical Unloading of Engineered Human Meniscus Models Under Simulated Microgravity: A Transcriptomic Study.Scientific data · 2022Article
- Investigating acute changes in osteoarthritic cartilage by integrating biomechanics and statistical shape models of bone: data from the osteoarthritis initiative.Magma (New York, N.Y.) · 2022Article
- Study on the Role of MicroRNA-214 in the Rehabilitation of Cartilage in Mice with Exercise-Induced Traumatic Osteoarthritis.Current issues in molecular biology · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
8 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
STUDY
designCase series.
backgroundIt has been shown in rodent and canine models that cartilage composition is significantly altered in response to long-term unloading. To date, however, no in vivo human studies have investigated this topic. The objective of this case series was to determine the influence of unloading and reloading on T1rho and T2 relaxation times of articular cartilage in healthy young joints. CASE DESCRIPTION: Ten patients who required 6 to 8 weeks of non-weight bearing (NWB) for injuries affecting the distal lower extremity participated in the study. Quantitative T1rho and T2 imaging of the ipsilateral knee joint was performed at 3 time points: (1) prior to surgery (baseline), (2) immediately after a period of NWB (post-NWB), and (3) after 4 weeks of full weight bearing (post-FWB). Cartilage regions of interest were segmented and overlaid on T1rho and T2 relaxation time maps for quantification. Descriptive statistics are provided for all changes. OUTCOMES: Increases of 5% to 10% in T1rho times of all femoral and tibial compartments were noted post-NWB. All values returned to near-baseline levels post-FWB. Increases in medial tibia T2 times were noted post-NWB and remained elevated post-FWB. The load-bearing regions showed the most significant changes in response to unloading, with increases of up to 12%. DISCUSSION: The observation of a transient shift in relaxation times confirms that cartilage composition is subject to alterations based on loading conditions. These changes appear to be mostly related to proteoglycan content and more localized to the load-bearing regions. However, following 4 weeks of full weight bearing, relaxation times of nearly all regions had returned to baseline levels, demonstrating reversibility in compositional fluctuations. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapy, level 4.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.