Peter Tumminelli*, Gerard Malanga, Aditya Raghunadan
Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis, and it is one of the leading causes of disability around the world. Post-traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA) can be triggered by athletic injury, falls, motor vehicle accidents, and surgeries. One of the most common joints injured is the knee, when supporting structures are not able to handle the forces delivered through the joint. Traumatic injuries are one of the leading causes of joint hemarthrosis and can result in damage of the periarticular structures. These insults accelerate a deleterious cytokine cascade which risks future cartilage degeneration ultimately leading to significant degenerative arthritis and functional decline. There is a potential role for joint aspiration in conjunction with targeted proteomics to slow down and hopefully arrest the inflammatory cytokine mediated cascade. Our hope is that early detection, treatment interventions and monitoring can prevent long term sequelae of arthritis following acute injury in youth.