SynthesisSports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.)2025
Are Altered Knee Joint Biomechanics Associated with Future Post-Traumatic Osteoarthritis Outcomes? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Longitudinal Studies.
Synthesis in Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.), 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
What it found
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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.
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Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed.
- A Return to Performance Continuum for Football (Soccer) Players After ACL Reconstruction: Bridging Rehabilitation, Return to Play and Sustained Performance.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2026Review
- Mechanical Signatures of Tibiofemoral Cartilage Degeneration Identified by Unconfined Compression Testing: Implications for Early Osteoarthritis Risk in Athletes.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2026Article
- From mechanical triggering to metabolic-inflammatory driving: a new paradigm of knee osteoarthritis pathogenesis.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundPost-traumatic knee osteoarthritis affects an estimated one in two people within a decade of traumatic knee injury. While altered biomechanics in older adults are associated with the onset and progression of insidious-onset knee osteoarthritis, the relationship between biomechanics and post-traumatic osteoarthritis is less clear.
objectiveWe aimed to evaluate associations between knee biomechanics and future structural and symptomatic outcomes post-surgery for traumatic knee injuries.
methodsWe systematically searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, Scopus, CINAHL, and SPORTDiscus from inception until May 2025. The eligibility criteria were studies that: (1) included participants post-surgery for traumatic knee injuries; (2) assessed knee biomechanics (kinetics, kinematics) during dynamic tasks (e.g. walking, hopping); and (3) reported longitudinal associations between early knee biomechanics and future post-traumatic osteoarthritis outcomes, including joint structure (imaging) or symptoms (patient-reported outcomes). Meta-analyses were completed where possible, with the remaining studies synthesised narratively due to heterogeneity precluding meta-analysis.
resultsWe included 18 studies (structure = 12, symptoms = 6); 17 following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction and one post-meniscectomy. Meta-analysis of three studies examined the association between patellofemoral contact force up to 1-year post-anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction and future cartilage structure at 1-5 years, assessed via T2 relaxation times and progression of cartilage defects on magnetic resonance imaging. Lower patellofemoral contact force was associated with worse future trochlear cartilage structure (r = - 0.48, 95% confidence interval - 0.63, - 0.31; I
conclusionsUnderloading of the patellofemoral joint within the first year post-anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction is associated with worse patellofemoral cartilage, a pattern not observed in the tibiofemoral joint. Clinicians should consider optimising loading interventions and addressing modifiable biomechanical alterations post-surgery to preserve cartilage health and reduce symptoms. PROTOCOL REGISTRATION: PROSPERO: CRD42024504099.
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