Grant: Project Grant - Priority Announcement: Female Athlete Health

By 2040, 25% of Canadians will have osteoarthritis (OA), a disabling joint condition. Most people think OA only affects older adults, but half of the 700,000 Canadian youth who hurt their knee playing sports every year will develop OA by the age of 40. These 'young people with old knees' face knee pain and disability for much of their adult lives, which can interfere with parenting, work, and recreation. Yet, most don't know about OA or how to reduce their risk. We teamed up with patients and healthcare providers to create and test a new program that targets young people at risk of 'old knees' called Stop OsteoARthritis (SOAR). This virtual program teaches people about their knee health and how to use exercises to prevent the downward spiral that can be seen after a knee injury. The program is 6-months and has four parts: 1) 'knee camp' where people learn about their knee health and set goals to manage it, 2) a personalized home exercise and physical activity program, 3) an activity tracker, and 4) weekly check-ins with a physiotherapist to discuss progress, obstacles, and adjust exercises. In this study, people who have torn the Anterior Cruciate ligament in their knee and had reconstruction surgery 9-36 months previously will be randomized (flip of a coin) to receive either the SOAR program or not. Researchers will test if the group that received the SOAR program has less pain and trouble moving at 6, and 12 months. We will also use MRI scans to see how the SOAR affects knee cartilage. Our team involves patients as research partners and is the first research group to use a patient-focused approach to improve knee health in knee injury survivors. By testing this innovative new program in a group that often gets overlooked, we hope to improve their health and ultimately decrease the number of Canadians suffering from the devastating effects of OA.