CALGARY – While surgery can help athletes with ACL injuries get back in the game, they run the risk of serious knee problems in the future.
Many often develop osteoarthritis of the knee which means debilitating pain that can only be treated with a full knee replacement.
However, over the past number of years researchers in Alberta have found a way to reduce pain without replacement surgery.
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When knee joints are injured, natural lubricants produced in the joint deteriorate. Without fluid the cartilage wears away. Since the mid-1990s, scientists have been developing synthetic lubricants to try and replace this fluid.
However, so far these injections have only offered short term relief, but one Calgary lab is testing something new to keep the aches and pains at bay for good.
“It could actually slow down the progression onset of osteoarthritis and hopefully extend the quality of life for patients suffering from osteoarthritis,” says Saleem Abubacker, PhD candidate at the University of Calgary.
A fluid protein called PRG4 could be the answer Saleem and his research team have been looking for.
“Injecting the lubricant in the joint hopefully we’re trying to recover the lubrication, the protection across the cartilage and reducing cartilage breakdown.”
PRG4 may also help lubricate eyes; it may be available for that purpose within the next five years.
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