Effects of Unloader Bracing in Clinical Outcome and Cartilage Physiology Following Microfracture of Chondral Defects
The study will examine clinical and radiographic outcomes of microfracture surgery (a common technique to address isolated areas of cartilage loss) in the knee used with or without unloader bracing. Randomly selected patients will wear an unloader brace, which is designed to take pressure off the area of the knee which underwent repair, for several weeks after surgery. Our hypothesis is that bracing may improve clinical and or radiographic outcomes.
The surgery performed will be the same for all patients
The length of follow up and schedule of post-operative MRI will be the same for all patients.
The only difference in groups will be presence of absence of brace wear.
Stanford is currently not accepting patients for this trial.
Intervention(s):
- device: Unloader Bracing
- device: Non-Bracing
Eligibility
Inclusion Criteria:
- isolated chondral defect of medial or lateral femoral condyle 2cm squared or less
- age 15-40
- neutral knee alignment
Exclusion Criteria:
- prior cartilage procedures performed in the same knee
- other significant knee pathology including meniscus tears, ligament tears or
inflammatory arthritis
Ages Eligible for Study
15 Years - 40 Years
Genders Eligible for Study
All
Not currently accepting new patients for this trial
Contact Information
Stanford University
School of Medicine
300 Pasteur Drive
Stanford,
CA
94305
Not Recruiting
Our research team includes physicians, residents, medical students, research assistants, and volunteers. Our research topics include medical imaging, device validation, mobile application development, and pharmaceutical trials.
Some of the Neuro-Opthalmic concerns we investigate include Multiple Sclerosis, Optic Neuritis, IIH, and ICP.