November 24, 2022 (Vancouver) – Knee injuries can be life-altering and could lead to osteoarthritis and, consequently, affect healthcare systems globally. OPTIKNEE, led by Arthritis Research Canada, Research Scientist Dr. Jackie Whittaker, is an international group of over 40 scientists, patients and health care professionals working to address this issue.
Over the last three years, the OPTIKNEE group has combined evidence from approximately 230 studies which include 133,000 people with knee injuries, aimed at identifying key findings within several areas of research in 7 systematic reviews. This process resulted in 8 recommendations for health care after a knee injury and 6 recommendations for future research aimed at preventing knee osteoarthritis after an injury.
“These recommendations will ensure patients receive the best care following a traumatic knee injury, so that they don’t develop osteoarthritis. The research recommendations lay the foundation for future research using similar methods so that data results of individual studies can be more easily combined,” said Dr. Whittaker. These results also encourage collaboration among researchers to use collective resources and overcome common barriers.
OPTIKNEE emerged from an international meeting focused on setting priorities for preventing osteoarthritis after knee injury. The OPTIKNEE group outputs are expected to drive innovation and change the face of care for persons that experience a traumatic knee injury.
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