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ADVANCES IN TECHNOLOGY

High-tech MRI Study of Novice Female Distance Runners

Shows Post-Race Changes in Knee Cartilage

Using an advanced MRI imaging tech- Orthopaedic Sports Medicine and post-race T2 relaxation times revealed
nique, University of Miami Miller School Fellowship, and associate director of a significant increase in average T2 values
of Medicine researchers detected carti- Orthopaedic Surgery Residency Program in the outer region of the medial tibia
lage changes in the knees of healthy at the Sports Medicine Institute - collab- articular surface but no notable increase in
female runners running a half marathon, orated with researchers at the People’s the adjacent central region. They also
in the days following the race. Hospital, Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province, reported a significant decrease in average
The study, published in the Journal of China, to study the knees of six Miami, T2 relaxation time in the lateral femoral
International Medical Research, sets the Florida-based female runners. The condyle central region. The researchers
groundwork for future studies to deter- women were ages 29 to 41 years, none found no significant changes in the run-
mine whether these changes are tran- were obese based on body mass index ners’ patella, medial femoral condyle and
sient, adaptive or eventually lead to knee measures, and the half marathon was lateral tibia articular surfaces.
pain and other problems in runners. their first or second attempt at the 13.1- “We noticed that the novice runners’
“This study shows that we can take an mile distance. The women had not run a knees were different than more experi-
asymptomatic group of runners and use half marathon in the six months prior to enced runners that have been studied, in
a sophisticated technology--MRI T2 the study. They ran less than 20 kilome- that more experienced runners have a
relaxation time mapping—to identify Dr. Lee Kaplan ters a week and had no previous knee broader area of change than do the novice
changes that we haven’t been able to see injuries, surgery or knee pain. runners,” Dr. Kaplan said.
in the past,” said study author Lee Researchers measured biochemical The goal now is to find out what those
Kaplan, M.D., director of the University Researchers used the MRI technology changes in the articular cartilage of each changes mean, if anything, to runners’
of Miami Sports Medicine Institute, Petra available at the Miller School to noninva- runner’s knee before the half marathon knees.
and Stephen Levin Endowed Chair in sively detect changes in specific elements and compared the images to an average six Dr. Kaplan and colleagues plan to con-
Sports Medicine and professor of ortho- that make up cartilage, including proteo- days post-race using the Miller School’s duct a follow-up study with a larger
pedics, biomedical engineering, and glycans, collagen, and water content. MRI T2 mapping technology. group of male and female runners, as
kinesiology and sports sciences at the Dr. Kaplan and colleagues - including They detected significant localized carti- well as look longer term at the impact of
University of Miami Miller School of co-author Michael Baraga, M.D., associ- lage changes on the medial side of the potential cartilage changes in the knees
Medicine. ate professor of orthopaedics, director of knee post-race compared to baseline. Pre- of people that continue to run.

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8 November 2019 southfloridahospitalnews.com South Florida Hospital News