New OA Guidelines

A two-day symposium involving more than 25 osteoarthritis experts (OA) has developed clinical treatment protocols for three specific groups of patients. The multi-disciplinary panel of experts, who were from the U.S. and Canada, was convened following the publication of guidelines for non-surgical treatment of knee OA—issued by the Osteoarthritis Research Society International (OARSI).

The event, sponsored by Össur, was co-chaired by Dr. Katherine Dec, Professor, Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation and Orthopaedic Surgery at Virginia Commonwealth University; Dr. Jack Taunton, Professor in the Sports Medicine Division at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver Canada, and Dr. Axel Schulz, Össur’s Medical Director.

“This consensus symposium gathered experts from non-surgical and surgical backgrounds with the vision to develop protocols in specific knee OA populations. This summary can help the practitioner with patient selection and phases of treatment for the best outcome in medical treatment of OA, ” said Dr. Dec in the July 22, 2016 news release. Dr. Dec also serves as first vice-president of the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine.

The expert panel addressed three groups: younger knee OA patients, defined as individuals under age 65 who may have developed knee OA as a result of previous surgeries; active, demanding patients who, regardless of age, were capable of performing moderate-to-vigorous activities or were competitive athletes, and older patients, typically those over age 65 who were seeking to maintain or regain former activity levels.

“Knee OA is a leading cause of chronic disability and severely impacts patients’ physical and psychological functioning, ” said Dr. Schulz. “Recently published clinical guidelines recommend OA patients increase activity, reduce weight and increase strength, aided by biomechanical interventions such as unloader bracing. We convened this group of clinical experts to explore whether universal practices were applicable, or if patients might benefit from more customized treatment paths according to their specific needs.”

Dr. Dec told OTW, “In the past, the guidelines for knee osteoarthritis conservative treatment in conjunction with the use of unloader bracing were general and vague. The goal on this consensus document was to provide a tool which helps medical professionals to select the right patient for conservative treatment, and to provide guidelines for when and how to use an unloader brace for different patient populations. Targeting the treatment approach to the right time and the right patient empowers the patient and helps improve patient care.”