Braden C. Fleming, Ph.D., the Lucy Lippitt Professor of Orthopaedics at Brown University, has been honored with the Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation (OREF) Clinical Research Award. The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) announced Dr. Fleming as the recipient of this award as part of its virtual annual meeting experience. The award recognizes outstanding clinical research related to musculoskeletal disease or injury. This award is in honor of his for research into the long-term outcomes of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction with a focus on post-traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA).
Dr. Fleming and his co-authors Gary Badger, M.S., Paul D. Fadale, M.D., Michael J. Hulstyn, M.D., Robert M. Shalvoy, M.D., and Glenn Tung, M.D., spent more than 15 years looking at various mechanical, psychological and biological factors that may result in the onset and progression of PTOA after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR).
According to OREF, “Their work primarily studied the tension applied to a graft (a replacement ligament to assume the role of the damaged ACL) used to reconstruct the ACL. The team wanted to determine if the tension difference was a primary factor for developing PTOA since it dictates joint contact conditions…”
“As a bioengineer, I wanted to explore the mechanical functions of the knee and the way the joint distributes its force or load during activity to determine if joint stability is related to PTOA risk,” said Dr. Fleming. “We studied graft tension to evaluate and explore two schools of thought. One was to apply a tight graft at the time of surgery with the idea that it will stretch over time, and it will basically return to normal. The other was to put the graft in at a low tension and restore normal at the time of surgery, so ideally it won’t stretch out.”
