Joint Distraction Promotes Structural Repair In Patients With Severe Knee Osteoarthritis

Joint distraction (the use of a surgical frame around a degenerated joint to strengthen and promote repair) promotes cartilage repair in severe end stage osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee, as demonstrated for the first time by data presented at EULAR 2008, the Annual Congress of the European League Against Rheumatism in Paris, France.



In the study, an external fixation frame, with springs, was used to bridge the knee joint in 19 relatively young osteoarthritis patients (







Osteoarthritis of the knee is twice as common in women as in men, mainly occurring in women over the age of 50. So far, no treatment has been available and end stage placement of a joint prosthesis is often inevitable. Delaying such joint replacement surgery and preserving the original joint, specifically in the light of the ageing population, offers significant social and economical potential.







Abstract number: OP0151




About EULAR
The European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) is the organisation which represents the patient, health professional and scientific societies of rheumatology of all the European nations.


The aims of EULAR are to reduce the burden of rheumatic diseases on the individual and society and to improve the treatment, prevention and rehabilitation of musculoskeletal diseases. To this end, EULAR fosters excellence in education and research in the field of rheumatology. It promotes the translation of research advances into daily care and fights for the recognition of the needs of people with musculoskeletal diseases by the governing bodies in Europe.


Diseases of bones and joints, such as rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis cause disability in 4 - 5 % of the adult population and are predicted to rise as people live longer.


As new treatments emerge and cellular mechanisms are discovered, EULAR 2008 brings together more than 12,000 experts - scientists, clinicians, healthcare workers, pharmaceutical companies and patients - to share their knowledge in a global endeavour to challenge the pain and disability caused by musculo-skeletal disorders.


To find out more information about the activities of EULAR, visit: eular/

Source: Rory Berrie


European League Against Rheumatism