title: Knee kinematics and kinetics are associated with early patellofemoral osteoarthritis following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.
abstract: Patellofemoral osteoarthritis (PFOA) commonly occurs following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR). Our study aimed to compare knee kinematics and kinetics during a hop-landing task between individuals with and without early PFOA post-ACLR.
  
  
  
  Forty-five individuals (mean ± SD 26 ± 5 years) 1-2 years post-ACLR underwent 3T isotropic MRI scans and 3D biomechanical assessment of a standardised forward hop task. Knee kinematics (initial contact, peak, excursion) in all three planes and sagittal plane kinetics (peak) were compared between 15 participants with early PFOA (MRI-defined patellofemoral cartilage lesion) and 30 participants with no PFOA (absence of patellofemoral cartilage lesion on MRI) using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), adjusted for age, BMI, sex and the presence of early tibiofemoral OA.
  
  
  
  Compared to participants without PFOA, those with early PFOA exhibited smaller peak knee flexion angles (mean difference, 95% confidence interval [CI]: -5.2°, -9.9 to -0.4; P = 0.035) and moments (-4.2 Nm/kg.m, -7.8 to -0.6; P = 0.024), and greater knee internal rotation excursion (5.3°, 2.0 to 8.6; P = 0.002).
  
  
  
  Individuals with early PFOA within the first 2-years following ACLR exhibit distinct kinematic and kinetic features during a high-load landing task. These findings provide new information regarding common post-ACLR biomechanical patterns and PFOA. Since management strategies, such as altering knee load, are more effective during the early stages of disease, this knowledge will help to inform clinical management of early PFOA post-ACLR.
authors.affiliation: Paracelsus Medical University, Institute of Anatomy Salzburg & Nuremberg, Salzburg, Austria; La Trobe University, La Trobe Sport and Exercise Medicine Research Centre, School of Allied Health, Bundoora, Australia; Australian Hip and Knee Institute, Melbourne, Australia. Electronic address: adam.culvenor@pmu.ac.at.
authors.forename: A G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Culvenor
authors.affiliation: The University of Melbourne, Department of Physiotherapy, School of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, Parkville, Australia. Electronic address: lperraton@unimelb.edu.au.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Perraton
authors.affiliation: Boston University School of Medicine, Department of Radiology, Boston, USA. Electronic address: ali.guermazi@bmc.org.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Guermazi
authors.affiliation: The University of Melbourne, Department of Physiotherapy, School of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, Parkville, Australia. Electronic address: albryant@unimelb.edu.au.
authors.forename: A L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Bryant
authors.affiliation: OrthoSport Victoria, Epworth Richmond, Melbourne, Australia. Electronic address: tswhitehead@osv.com.au.
authors.forename: T S
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Whitehead
authors.affiliation: The Park Clinic, St Vincent's Private Hospital, Melbourne, Australia. Electronic address: haydenmorris@me.com.
authors.forename: H G
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Morris
authors.affiliation: La Trobe University, La Trobe Sport and Exercise Medicine Research Centre, School of Allied Health, Bundoora, Australia. Electronic address: k.crossley@latrobe.edu.au.
authors.forename: K M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Crossley
mesh_terms: D059549:Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D006801:Humans; D007700:Kinetics; D007719:Knee Joint; D020370:Osteoarthritis, Knee
keywords: Anterior cruciate ligament; Biomechanics; Magnetic resonance imaging; Osteoarthritis; Patellofemoral joint