The Acute Effect of Running on Knee Articular Cartilage Post Menisectomy on MRI T2 Mapping

Running has many benefits, it has been shown to control blood pressure and levels of lipids and cholesterol as well as improving cardiovascular endurance. Running is useful for weight management and can improve strength endurance and mood. In the USA alone there are between 15-35 million active runners.

Despite all the positive attributes of running, the loading of the joints during running may have a deleterious effect on the joint cartilage leading to osteoarthritis. This effect has been the subject of several studies without a conclusive result.

Partial menisectomy is the most common orthopeadic surgical procedure performed with more than 850,000 performed annually in the USA. It has been shown that partial menisectomy causes abnormal joint loading and is a risk factor for development of knee osteoarthritis. Furthermore the majority of patients undergoing partial meniectomy are young and active adults and seeking to return to sporting activities.

The effect of running on the knee joint articular cartilage in the post menisectomy state has yet to be investigated.

Methods: Ten young healthy volunteers, who underwent medial partial menisectomy, 1-3 years prior, underwent 3T MR imaging of the knee, before and immediately after 30 minutes of running. The exam included the operated knee and the healthy knee as a control. Quantitaive assessment of the articular cartilage and the menisci was performed using a T2 mapping technique. The immediate effect of running on the joint cartilage was assessed as well as comparison between the operated and the control knee.

We will report our findings.