Oxford Knee Injury Cohort

Research summary

Rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and/or meniscal injury is a common and serious knee injury, frequently followed by pain, swelling and episodes of instability. Common problems include recurrent knee instability that can be associated with further cartilage damage causing intermittent swelling or a locking sensation. Furthermore, the injury can lead to poor reported quality of life, decreased activity levels and is associated with increased risk of common arthritis of the knee irrespective of treatment. The management of ACL injuries includes both reconstructive surgery and non-surgical (conservative) treatments. It is unclear whether stabilising the knee surgically produces any long-term benefit in comparison to good rehabilitation and this unresolved issue remains a problem in guiding the choice of treatment. The main purpose of this study is to see if some NHS treatment pathways have better outcomes for patients then others. We would also like to examine factors that can predict poor outcomes. We aim to enroll around 200 adults aged over 18 years old from the Oxford University Hospitals Trust. The study mainly consists of filling out questionnaires about your symptoms and quality of life. Participants with anterior cruciate ligament and/or meniscal injury within 10 weeks of their first knee clinic appointment, or those booked for an elective knee operation for ACL/meniscal operation, will be asked for additional permission to collect some body fluids and tissue samples. This will allow us to inform and improve patient care, predict early the risk of developing chronic knee problems and optimise service delivery to individual needs in the future. The study is funded by the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Unit and Arthritis Research UK Centre of Excellence for Sport, Exercise and Osteoarthritis.

Principal Investigator

Prof Andrew J Price

Contact us

Email: gail.lang@ndorms.ox.ac.uk

IRAS number

150239