Grant: Canada Postdoctoral Research Award (CPRA) program

Knee injuries are common in young people, especially those who play sports. Unfortunately, a serious injury like a torn ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) can elevate the risk for knee osteoarthritis (OA) 6-fold. Knee OA can cause pain, stiffness, and difficulty with everyday activities, and because it develops at a young age after injury, people may live with its effects for most of their adult lives. Currently, young people with knee injuries rarely receive care that focuses on preventing OA. Research shows that education and exercise can help people protect their knees and manage their health, but these strategies are not often provided in regular care. To address this gap, we developed a program called SOAR (Stop OsteoARthritis), developed by patients and healthcare providers. Early research suggests that SOAR can help people learn skills to manage their knee health, reduce symptoms, and stay active. This project will take the next step by learning more about how patients and healthcare providers view self-management of knee health, testing how well the SOAR program works compared to usual care, and exploring what helps or gets in the way of using SOAR in real-world settings. We will also work with patients, providers, and researchers to identify the best ways to make the program widely available in the future. The ultimate goal is to give young Canadians the tools and support they need to protect their knees, prevent OA, and improve their quality of life.