U.S. Army researchers made a surprising discovery while examining the impact of an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear (a common knee injury), on four serum biomarkers associated with cartilage health. The researchers found that pre-injury concentrations for all but one of the four serum biomarkers studied were associated with the subsequent likelihood of ACL injury. The findings were presented Saturday at the annual meeting of the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM). “We expected to see post-injury differences in biomarkers, but were astonished that the biomarkers showed measurable differences months or years prior to injury,” said U.S. Army Lt. Col. Steven Svoboda, M.D., during his presentation, titled The Association between Serum Biomarkers of Cartilage Turnover and Subsequent Anterior Cruciate … MORE→