Traumatic knee injuries are rising worldwide, with Australia now recording some of the highest and fastest-growing rates of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries and reconstruction surgery.
New research led by Dr Marc-Olivier Dubé and colleagues at the La Trobe Sport and Exercise Medicine Research Centre is addressing a critical gap in how these injuries are managed and how it shapes their long-term outcomes.
“Despite advances in surgery and rehabilitation, long-term outcomes for people with knee-injuries remain suboptimal,” Dr Dubé says.
To address this, he has established the Australian Knee Injury Inception Cohort Study (KIICS), the first nationwide study to comprehensively map healthcare pathways following traumatic knee injury.
“KIICS will provide a real-world framework to examine how patient and healthcare-related factors influence management decisions and long-term outcomes across a range of different knee injuries,” Dr Dubé explains.
The findings will deliver critical evidence on how current care pathways align with best-practice recommendations, and how variations in care shape long-term outcomes for people living with knee injury.
Spread the word or take part in this online study if you have had a knee injury in the past six months.
