Associations Between Slower Walking Speed and T1ρ Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Femoral Cartilage Following Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction

Abstract

Slower walking speed at 6 and 12 months following ACLR may be associated with early proteoglycan density changes in medial femoral compartment cartilage health in the first 12 months following ACLR.

Association Between Declining Walking Speed and Increasing Bone Marrow Lesion and Effusion Volume in Individuals with Accelerated Knee Osteoarthritis

“…Even though walking speed decline was associated with worsening BML and effusion volume in individuals who developed accelerated knee OA, there was no significant association between walking speed decline and knee articular cartilage change in any group. While we observed no significant association between walking speed and articular cartilage, results from prior cross‐sectional studies and prognostic studies have suggested a link between walking speed and cartilage health . Specifically, slower walking speed is significantly associated with worse cartilage composition (i.e., T1rho relaxation times) as well as with serum biomarkers of cartilage metabolism (i.e., the ratio of type II collagen degradation to synthesis) in individuals at high risk of knee OA (i.e., young adults with a history of an anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction).…”

“…While we observed no significant association between walking speed and articular cartilage, results from prior cross‐sectional studies and prognostic studies have suggested a link between walking speed and cartilage health . Specifically, slower walking speed is significantly associated with worse cartilage composition (i.e., T1rho relaxation times) as well as with serum biomarkers of cartilage metabolism (i.e., the ratio of type II collagen degradation to synthesis) in individuals at high risk of knee OA (i.e., young adults with a history of an anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction). Additionally, habitual walking speed is associated with acute femoral cartilage deformation following a 30‐minute treadmill walk , indicating that walking speed may play a role in cartilage loading that is important in the maintenance of cartilage health.…”

“…Additionally, habitual walking speed is associated with acute femoral cartilage deformation following a 30‐minute treadmill walk , indicating that walking speed may play a role in cartilage loading that is important in the maintenance of cartilage health. Our analysis determined the association between concurrent change in walking speed and change in cartilage structure, which is a more robust analysis technique than previous cross‐sectional studies . However, this difference in analysis may be one reason why we did not observe a significant association between changes in walking speed and articular cartilage.…”

Managing the Early Risk of Posttraumatic Osteoarthritis Following Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury

“…Recent data suggests that slower habitual walking speeds at 6 months post ACLR are associated with greater T1ρ MRI relaxation times (i.e. lesser proteoglycan density) at 12 months following ACLR [41]. Additionally, slower walking speeds in a cohort of ACLR patients, at an average of 43 months post-ACLR, demonstrated greater serum biomarker concentrations of type II cartilage breakdown [46].…”

Anterior Cruciate Ligament Research Retreat VIII Summary Statement: An Update on Injury Risk Identification and Prevention Across the Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury Continuum, March 14–16, 2019, Greensboro, NC

“…However, these techniques are expensive, technically demanding, generally investigational, and inaccessible to many clinicians. Measures such as habitual walking speed, 156,157 quadriceps strength (normalized to total body mass), 128 and patient-reported outcomes 158 show promise as clinically relevant measures associated with early changes in joint tissue health after ACLR.…”