Age 'increases severity of damage following anterior cruciate ligament tear'

The severity of meniscus or articular cartilage damage after an anterior cruciate ligament tear is increased in people over 50 and could lead to a need for knee replacement.

Research in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery monitored the associations between age, sex and surgical delay on the location of lesions on the meniscus and articular cartilage following a tear of the anterior cruciate ligament.

They found that older patients were "more likely" to have "multiple cartilage lesions throughout the knee" and have "more isolated medial femoral condyle lesions".

In the older group, meniscus injuries were "more frequent" and "femoral articular cartilage lesions were also located more frequently on the medial side".

The researchers wrote: "Increased age, male sex and increased surgical delay all increase the frequency and severity of injuries of the meniscus and/or articular cartilage after an anterior cruciate ligament tear."

Recent research published in the Journal of Rheumatology found that rheumatoid arthritis of the knee causes more destructive changes to the joint.

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