Could painful knee replacements be a thing of the past? Scientists may have uncovered arthritis cure

Home / Research Updates / Could painful knee replacements be a thing of the past? Scientists may have uncovered arthritis cure
May 17, 2017May 17, 2017
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  • Researchers have found a molecule protects against cartilage deterioration  
  • Injecting high levels of the molecule in rats prevented arthritis’ development 
  • Molecule replacement therapy could take the place of artificial joint procedures 
  • Joint replacements have a long healing process and carry risks of complications

Scientists may be one step closer to finding a cure for arthritis, preventing the need for painful joint replacements.

Researchers have discovered a certain molecule maintains cartilage and therefore halts arthritis’ onset.

In the future, molecule replacement therapy could take over from artificial joint surgery, which can take up to two years to completely heal and carries blood clot and infection risks.

Study author Dr Bruce Cronstein, New York University, said: ‘Because joints may have to be replaced again and again, if we can put off the need for joint replacement until later in life, odds are that patients will only have to have this done once.’

In the US, around 4.7 million people had their knee replaced and 2.5 million had their hip replaced in 2010. In England and Wales, around 160,000 hip and knee replacement surgeries are performed each year.

Scientists may be closer to finding an arthritis cure, preventing painful joint replacements

Scientists may be closer to finding an arthritis cure, preventing painful joint replacements

IS KEYHOLE KNEE SURGERY FOR ARTHRITIS POINTLESS?

Keyhole knee operations on patients with a common form of arthritis should stop as they do little to help, according to a review in the British Medical Journal earlier this month.

Arthroscopic surgery – a minor procedure to treat arthritic knees and torn cartilage – has been ‘oversold as a cure-all for knee pain’, the report says.

Professor Mark Wilkinson, for Arthritis Research UK, said:’Previous studies have shown that knee arthroscopy is not recommended for the symptoms of pain and loss of function for people with degenerative knee arthritis.

‘They will benefit from lifestyle modification, exercise, physiotherapy, pain medication or joint replacement.’

More than 150,000 Britons undergo arthroscopic keyhole surgery to their knees every year, mainly due to osteoarthritis.

Researchers at New York University found that injecting high levels of the molecule, known as adenosine, into the injured ligaments of rats prevented osteoarthritis’ development.

Osteoarthritis is the most common form of joint disease and causes pain and stiffness. There is no cure.

Ligament damage is a known cause of osteoarthritis in humans.

Dr Cronstein, said: ‘We found that if adenosine levels decrease, or if the capacity to respond to adenosine diminishes, cartilage starts to degenerate.’

The results were published in Nature Communications online.

This comes after researchers from Queensland University of Technology’s Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation found that eating high-fat, high-carb meals can cause joint problems and arthritis.

Junk food may weaken joints, leading to painful osteoarthritis, they said.

Coconut oil may reverse arthritis’ damage due to its lauric acid content, which protects against cartilage deterioration, the researchers added.