PROJECT PARTNERS
None
FUNDING
Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Amsterdam UMC
Foundation Friends of ACES
BACKGROUND
Osteochondral defects (OCD) can occur after ankle sprains and ankle fractures. Due to the high impact of the tibial plafond on the talus, a cartilage crack could cause this defects. Last years, a lot of surgical treatment strategies are developed. After the surgical procedure, a certain period of rehabilitation is needed. This rehabilitation period could play a prominent role in the end result of the treatment. To this date, evidence based guidelines are not available for this specific injury.
Despite the developing treatment strategies, it’s seen that patients will suffer from end-stage osteo-arthritis in the long term, which brought up the hypothesis that osteochondral lesions may be a sign of early osteo-arthritis in the ankle joint.
OBJECTIVES
This PhD will focus on these two gaps in the literature. The first part will focus on the current used rehabilitation guidelines. An international survey and a review of the literature will be conducted, and an evidence based protocol will be developed.
The second part of this PhD will focus on the etiology of OCDs. More specific, signs of early osteoarthritis of the ankle will be studied in patients who have an OCD of their talus.